Abstract
This paper discusses the Puente Hills fault, a blind-thrust that runs underneath metropolitan Los Angeles. It looks at the magnitude of a possible earthquake. The paper also looks at the Theory of Plate Tectonics. It is based on a Los Angeles Times article.

From the Paper
"When people think about earthquakes in California the San Andreas Fault comes to mind because that fault threatens major Californian metropolitan centers where millions of people live and work and it is also the most famous local fault..."

Tags:Earthquake, California, Tectonics, Geology, Blind-thrust

Abstract
This paper discusses the pros and cons of pursuing a full inclusion policy of placing blind children in general education classrooms.

From the Paper
"Since the passage of the Individuals with Disability Education Act (IDEA) and its reauthorization, educators have confronted tremendous pressure to mainstream children with disabilities in deference to the IDEA's least restrictive environment (LRE) provision. Essentially, to the extent possible, children with disabilities, including blind children, should be educated alongside their non-disabled peers in general education classrooms."

Tags:Pros, and, Cons, of, Including, Blind, Children, in, Normal, Classroom, Settings

Abstract
This paper takes a look at various blind musicians and the contributions they have made to the music world. The paper discusses the life and work of Blind Tom, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles and Blind Lemon Jefferson.

Outline:
Review and Discussion
Background and Overview
Contributions of Blind Musicians
Conclusion

From the Paper
"By the time he reached his majority, Blind Tom possessed a repertoire of hundreds of pieces, all contained in his memory alone. In would appear, that in this individual's case, the inability to see also accentuated his other auditory abilities: "Tom's memory extended to other auditory information besides music: he could repeat without error conversations of up to fifteen minutes that he had overheard. He could also sing back songs in French or German (which, of course, he could not understand) after only one hearing" (Winner, 1996, p. 134). While musical savants may be the rule rather than the exception when it comes to musical genius, there are some well-known examples of blind musical prodigies as well but these musicians have not received as much attention. According to Haroutounian (2000), musical prodigies in general typically reach an advanced stage of development quickly and are capable of pursuing professional careers at an early age; however, some musical prodigies tend to experience a sort of "mid-life crisis" when they reached adolescence: "What happens to the bird who sings and doesn't know how it sings? That's what happens to child prodigies. They wake up and ask themselves dangerous questions about how they do it -- and they have no answers" (Haroutounian, 2000, p. 3). Furthermore, Goldstein (1998) reports that most traditional colleges and universities are ill-prepared to address the special needs of musical prodigies in general and blind students in particular, so it is a wonder that there are any professional blind musicians at all, but some persevere and these individuals are discussed further below."

Tags:racism, civil, rights, blues, memory, sing, song, play, instrument, repertoire

Abstract
The paper examines the study by M. Knauff and E. May entitled "Mental Imagery, Reasoning and Blindness", which presents evidence that is relevant to the study of mental imagery in congenitally blind individuals. The paper also examines the study by A. Vanlierde and M.C. Wanet-Defalque entitled "The Role of Visual Experience in Mental Imagery", which examines the impact of visual experience on mental imagery formation. Additionally, the paper looks at a study by S. Lambert and colleagues entitled "Blindness and Brain Plasticity: Contribution of Mental Imagery?", which is concerned with the responses of the brain, particularly the primary visual area (PVA) in blind individuals during participation in mental imagery. The paper concludes that it appears that visual imagery does not occur in those blinded early in life but only in those who are blinded later in life.

Outline:
Visual Imagery and Interference
The Role of Visual Experience in Mental Imagery
Blindness and Brain Plasticity
Summary and Conclusions

From the Paper
"The study by Knauff and May (2006) focused predominantly on the interference which visual imagery may exert on reasoning ability. It does however also present evidence which is relevant to the study of mental imagery in congenitally blind individuals.
"The study cites several previous studies which have shown that there are differences in the use of visual images in sighted people and those who are congenitally blind. It has also been shown through these studies that the use of spatial reconstruction is not significantly different between the two groups. It is this information which was used as the basis for the experimental design which the study used. The hypothesis is also based upon this information, along with the information from previous studies which have shown that visual imagery interferes with reasoning where spatial imagery does not."

Tags:brain, spatial, imagery, cognition

Abstract
The paper discusses how technology is capable of enhancing the blind's perception of popular culture and their interaction within it. The paper then shows how the blind will still be unable to experience the Information Age schema of popular culture in the same kind of depth with which a sighted person can. The paper adds that the difficulty the blind have in accessing this information is only likely to get worse as pop culture continues to evolve around the increasingly rapid intake and processing of new, visual information.

From the Paper
"There is little denying the reality that popular culture is, in contemporary society, largely shaped by new developments in technology. It is an "environment of accelerated change, where the evolution of technology has become the primary force behind pop culture (Rudman, 2006). For the majority of people, the intersection of technology and popular culture can seem so seamless and ubiquitous as to be unnoticeable. Most, especially the younger generation, have fully adapted to a world of YouTube videos, blogging, virtual worlds, and 24-hour cell phone access.However, the fact that popular culture has become mired in technology, like the Internet, which can be a fundamentally visual medium, can present significant challenges for individuals who are blind or sight impaired."

Tags:Information, Age, vision, sight

Abstract
This paper explores the degree to which the U.S. Constitution may be said to be "color-blind". It argues that the Constitution is not color-blind because it permits many instances of bigotry to go unchecked in private life. To bolster this claim, the paper places a great deal of emphasis upon the work of Dr. Neil Gotanda, entitled A Critique of "Our Constitution is Color-Blind". The paper also focuses on the controversial case of Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) in which racism was seen to be upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court despite the eloquent protests of one of the presiding Justices.

From the Paper
"Gotanda also insists that the First Amendment - specifically its Freedom of Speech Clause - has been used by the federal courts to strike down government efforts to outlaw "racial domination". What Gotanda appears to mean when he talks of "racial domination" is that recent years (Gotanda was writing in the early 1990s) have seen the "resurgence" of racist speech on university campuses after decades of determined effort by non-whites to wrestle back control of the image-making process from Caucasians. As a result, racially motivated speech which defames - or at least casts in a negative light different - groups has been protected by a Constitution that is allegedly "non-racial" in construction. In any case, Dr. Gotanda, if this writer understands him correctly, is putting forward the notion that American society has always been dominated by Caucasians and, therefore, permitting racially-offensive discourses on university campuses allows the dominant group in society to continue to articulate views supporting invidious distinctions between races without fear of any disciplinary action being taken. In other words, whites have crafted negative images of non-whites since the founding of America and this group, so powerful in the media, in the judiciary and even still in academia, is allowed to continue on with making negative distinctions because the Constitution - written as it was and amended as it has been by (predominantly) Caucasian males of property and significance - permits it."

Tags:caucasian, domination, racial, Plessy

Abstract
Atwood's novel, The Blind Assassin, is a novel of embedded stories, memoirs, newspaper clippings, a novel written by one of the characters, and stories told by a distant and secret relation within the family's daughters, Iris and Laura. Blindness is offered as a kind of purposeful ignorance, or a refusal to look at what is happening, and as well as a kind of freedom from the consequences of knowing what is happening. In the contexts of Iris' recollections, her family represents a Pandora's Box of secrets and betrayals, and as the novelist, Atwood is referring to the ways family secrets can destroy a family. The Blind Assassin is, however, much more than a story about secrets, but a revelation about writing, remembering, and living in the shadows of our own lives.

Abstract
This paper asks and attempts to answer the question, "how does a blind person begin a career in music?" It addresses this question by reviewing and explaining music Braille as opposed to literary Braille and its auxiliary technologies, by citing several resources available that offer Braille music or offer information and referral services for visually impaired students who wish to study music, and by explaining some of the technology available to assist blind students in their music studies.

From the Paper
"The first names that come to mind when one thinks of successful blind musical luminaries, are likely to be: Ray Charles, Ronnie Milsap, Teddy Pendergrass, Jose Feliciano, and of course, Stevie Wonder, among others. And in the jazz and blues genre, there are a number of blind artists, such as George Shearing, Roland Kirk, and Rev. Gary Davis, to name a few. And, meantime, for the blind person who is not already competent at the task of performing or writing music, and who respects those famous blind musicians mentioned above "and even views them as role models" how does that blind person begin a career in music? How does a novice learn?"

Tags:ray, charles, teddy, pendergrass, jose, feliciano, stevie, wonder, cell, symbol, system, sight

Abstract
Discusses how the deaf & blind population is treated as a minority within current American culture. Needs and problems of this population. Provisions of the American Disabilities Act (ADA). Concept of equal access. Status of the deaf & blind population in mainstream American society. Power relationships. Application of Bowen's family systems theory. Social work advocacy.

From the Paper
"This research examines the deaf/blind population as a minority within the current American culture, for the purpose of evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of mainstream society and determining possible ways in which the discipline of social work can engage the process of social transformation and reform with this population. The research will set forth salient characteristics of this group and discusses ways in which the deaf and/or blind population has been identified as a minority within society, and also discuss the content of the values and traditions, strengths and resources, and needs and problems that the deaf/blind contribute to the diversity of contemporary culture. Based on evidence provided, the research will evaluate the dimensions of power informing the experience of culture by the deaf/blind, citing, as appropriate, how concepts of power..."

Abstract
Analysis of January 1994 Southern California earthquake. Focal depth of 6.7 magnitude quake. Blind thrust type quake. The fault involved (Oak Ridge system, Pico thrust). Types of damage from the quake (liquefacation, lateral spreading, landslides, differential compaction). Greter damage to Santa Monica. Comparison to 1971 Sylmar earthquake. Retrofitting & engineering codes.

From the Paper
"1994 Northridge Earthquake
The 1994 Northridge Earthquake occurred at 4:30:55 AM PST on January 17, 1994. It was measured as a magnitude 6.7 on the Richter scale. This quake occurred along the Northridge Thrust, a fault that is also known as the Pico Thrust. It was centered about 20 miles northwest of Los Angeles and approximately 1 mile south southwest of Northridge. This quake was a blind thrust type quake.


This particular fault dips to the south at an almost 45 degree angle. As a result, quakes along this fault and similar thrust faults falsely appear far removed from the surface trace. This particular fault forms the ridge slightly to the south of its trace, paralleled by the Santa Clara River and California Sate Highway 126. It begins near the town of Piru in the east and ends just..."