WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.500 --> 00:00:07.600 POUND: I had just finished college--had been in a very rigorous mathematics program--and gotten married, moved back to Austin. 2 00:00:08.100 --> 00:00:12.800 And was unemployed, wanted to be a programmer, and there wasn't really any jobs to do that. 3 00:00:13.300 --> 00:00:16.400 POUND: So, I spent a lot of my time reading talking books... 4 00:00:16.900 --> 00:00:22.800 published through the national library service, and flowing through the state library for the blind and physically handicapped. 5 00:00:23.300 --> 00:00:31.200 POUND: Well, President Nixon impounded the funding for the state library services for the blind and physically handicapped all across the country. 6 00:00:31.700 --> 00:00:37.100 And it turned out that that was the total funding of the Texas library division at that time. 7 00:00:37.600 --> 00:00:46.800 POUND: And so, had that continued we would have not had any of our talking books at all; they would have just disappeared. We would have had none. 8 00:00:47.300 --> 00:00:52.400 And so, I just happened upon finding that out because I was at the library. 9 00:00:52.900 --> 00:01:02.600 POUND: And of anything that was actually keeping me sane and contributing to the quality of life right then, other than being married, which is nice, was my books. 10 00:01:03.100 --> 00:01:06.700 And I just thought, goodness, these are going to go away... 11 00:01:07.200 --> 00:01:15.600 POUND: and many of the people who receive them and rely on them for accessibility are no longer going to have a way that they can read. 12 00:01:16.100 --> 00:01:22.700 Which seemed totally wrong to me, both in that they didn't know it was happening so that couldn't make their voice heard... 13 00:01:23.200 --> 00:01:27.400 POUND: and that anyone would even conceive of taking such a basic... 14 00:01:27.900 --> 00:01:32.000 value...to me, right...away. 15 00:01:32.500 --> 00:01:40.000 Because, you know, if you can't learn then you certainly can't participate in a knowledgeable fashion in our society. 16 00:01:40.500 --> 00:01:50.200 POUND: And so, that was what sort of electrified me to spearhead a campaign with the local new cross-disability group to get a letter printed. 17 00:01:50.700 --> 00:01:53.100 We chose to go after state money. 18 00:01:53.600 --> 00:02:03.600 POUND: I think we didn't think we had any hope of solving the federal problem. So we went after state money to replace what Nixon had impounded. 19 00:02:04.100 --> 00:02:10.900 And we were successful in securing that, and our legislature went home, and then Nixon unimpounded the money. 20 00:02:11.400 --> 00:02:17.400 POUND: And so our library service actually ended up with double funding as opposed to zero funding. And that to me... 21 00:02:17.900 --> 00:02:28.100 I think what really energized me the most was seeing how the people that had never been involved wanted to be involved in this issue. 22 00:02:28.600 --> 00:02:31.300 POUND: They did care about their books and wanted to have a say. 23 00:02:31.800 --> 00:02:38.800 And they were calling their legislators and they would send us five dollars, and three dollars, and two dollars, or a quarter in an envelope. 24 00:02:39.300 --> 00:02:41.700 POUND: We didn't ask for money but people just did. 25 00:02:42.200 --> 00:02:48.500 And so I really began to understand the power of people, even though they weren't members of an organization. 26 00:02:49.000 --> 00:02:55.100 POUND: We just happened to be able to get the actual list of people who received this service. 27 00:02:55.600 --> 00:02:58.600 BONNEY: And why was that so significant to you, personally? 28 00:02:59.100 --> 00:03:11.500 POUND: Well, that people would make decisions and take part in shaping policies that affected their lives, and that to me was responsible. 29 00:03:12.000 --> 00:03:14.300 POUND: And to me it said... 30 00:03:14.800 --> 00:03:23.600 this level of participation and responsibility that people are willing to take needs outlets and leadership.