The Lantern

The Lantern
SPRING 2005
In this issue
Sports at Perkins
175th Anniversary
Perkins Training
Center
Perkins History
Museum
Message from the President
We welcome
everyone to the
Perkins Open House
on Sunday,
May 22, 1– 4 pm!
The Perkins 175th Anniversary is remarkable. So many people have visited
campus. They have enjoyed the new museum and special concerts. They have
expanded their knowledge at conferences and trainings. They have perused
the new Perkins history book. Perkins introduced new initiatives to help
professionals working with people with vision loss and to help Boston public
school students who are blind. We have introduced programs in Sri Lanka
and Vietnam, while continuing to serve 60,000 babies, students and elders in
New England and around the world.
I would like to take a moment to thank our volunteers and donors who
allow Perkins to reach so many people every year. Thank you for your time
and resources. You are all vital members of the Perkins family. You are
making a world of difference.
As we finish our 175th celebrations with the Open House and the Gala this
spring, it is also time to think about what’s ahead—just as Perkins students
everyday are preparing for the future.
Perkins will continue to be a world leader. We will continue to serve children
and adults on campus, in the community and internationally.
On behalf of everyone at Perkins, thank you for your generous support.
It is together that we make a difference.
Sincerely,
Steven M. Rothstein
President
Perkins School for the Blind
Cover: The Perkins 2005
Goal Ball Team.
Contents
Sports at Perkins ..........................page 4
4
A commitment to personal best
175th Anniversary ........................page 8
Please join us!
Perkins Training Center ............page 10
A new initiative to help professionals
Perkins History Museum ..........page 12
10
A multi-sensory journey for all
Reflections ......................................page 14
Perkins people and happenings on
and off campus
12
14
The Lantern
SPRING 2005
VOLUME LXXIV, NUMBER 2
Sports at Perkins A commi
P
erkins School for the Blind is all about what people can do.
Perkins students strive to be their best in the classroom, in job placements
and in their personal lives. And in sports. Sports are much more than fun.
They teach skills that can help students far beyond graduation.
Social skills, teamwork, commitment, dedication and self-esteem are all vital life
skills. All are a part of sports at Perkins, whether it’s high school students traveling
across the state to run in a track meet or kids in the Deafblind Program ice skating
like their brothers and sisters for the first time.
Perkins students compete in track, wrestling, cheerleading, goal ball and swimming. Wrestling, which is about touch, not sight, has always been an equal arena
for blind athletes. Goal ball, on the other
hand, was developed by soldiers blinded and
otherwise disabled in World War I who still
wanted to play sports. Players keep one foot
on positions marked by raised tape and listen for the ball with a bell inside. Each team
shoots across the court and guards its own
goal. All players wear blindfolds to ensure
that those with partial vision do not have
an advantage. Perkins teams placed second
at the Eastern Athletic Association for the
Blind Goal Ball Championship. Perkins
Goal ball was developed
by people who were blind.
students are beginning to play goal ball with
kids at the Watertown Boys & Girls Club.
4
tment to personal best
“Perkins staff gave our son
a gift that no one can ever
take away from him, the gift
of participation in a sport like
other kids. They taught him
that working hard and practicing
for something, no matter what
it is, pays off.“
Parent of a Perkins Lower
School student on his first time
competing in a regional
wrestling tournament.
Students of all ages and abilities
benefit from the teamwork of sports.
5
Sports at Perkins
Cheerleaders also placed second in a recent competition, and next spring Perkins will
host the Eastern Athletic Association for the Blind track and field championship.
Recreational sports are no less important at Perkins. Physical activity is essential
for people who are blind and tend to move around less because they can’t see their
surroundings. Bowling, rowing, ice skating, skiing, waterskiing and golf are all
activities that students can try at Perkins and bring to the rest of their lives.
Many Perkins students are thrilled to be able to try a sport for the first time. Others
are timid, insecure or afraid, especially if
before coming to Perkins they were only
told what they could not do. After support
from physical education teachers in Lower
School or the Deafblind, Secondary or
Outreach Programs, students learn that
they’re able to develop many skills. They
grow in confidence and are no longer
afraid to have a goal and reach for it.
Sports are another Perkins lesson that
Every member of Perkins
wrestling and cheerleading
teams won medals.
they can do it. They can do anything.
“It’s great when the older kids help
the new kids on a team. The older
kids know that they’re important,
that they can help, and the new kids
know that they’ll be able to conquer
this new obstacle, too.”
Terri Werner,
Perkins EAAB Athletic Director
6
“No matter how I try to occupy
my time, I’ve found nothing that
can replace the role that running
has in my life. Nothing offers
the same challenge, reward
or vision.”
Marla Runyan, Perkins Ambassador,
Olympic runner and author of
No Finish Line—My Life as I See It.
Marla will return to Perkins this
spring to lead students in another
fitness workshop.
Perkins 2004 Goal Ball
Team received the Spirit
Award from the Eastern
Athletic Association for
the Blind.
7
Perkins Anniversary
Join us celebrating 175 years
P
erkins’ 175th Anniversary continues to be a year of excitement
and accomplishment. Students, staff, the general public, generous
friends and corporations have come together to celebrate 175 years
of seeing possibility. The opening of the Perkins History Museum,
performances by alumnus Tony DeBlois and the international singing
duo, the Vlieg Sisters, conferences, and holiday celebrations have
brought people to campus and have shown what Perkins and people
who are blind can accomplish. Please join us for two upcoming
Anniversary events—the grand finale of our 175th celebrations.
175TH ANNIVERSARY GALA
Wednesday, May 4, 2005
6:00-9:30 pm
The State Room atop
60 State Street, Boston
Share the spirit of Perkins through stories,
art and music at a cocktail reception and dinner.
For ticket information call 617.972.7583 or
www.Perkins.org/specialevents
Thank you to our 175th Anniversary sponsors!
•
•
•
•
Clear Channel Outdoor
Herald Media Inc.
Hill Holliday
WCVB-TV5 Boston
8
of possibility
PERKINS OPEN HOUSE
Sunday, May 22, 2005, 1 – 4 pm
We invite you to bring your family and friends for an afternoon
at Perkins School for the Blind.
Tour our beautiful campus:
New hands-on history museum
The Thomas & Bessie Pappas
Horticulture Center & Arboretum
Braille & Talking Book Library
Enjoy demonstrations of:
Goal ball—a sport for players
who are blind
Braille
Sign Language—learn your name sign
Guide dogs
Explorations:
Petting zoo
NASCAR race car
Watertown fire engine and Police Command Center
Other attractions:
Live music performed by Perkins students and others
Raffle for autographed Boston Celtics basketball
Food & much more!
9
Perkins Training Center
P
erkins trains more teachers, professionals
and administrators working in blind-
ness, deafblindness or multiple disabilities
than any other agency in New England.
We have received generous gifts from
foundations and individuals for our new
Perkins Training Center, allowing Perkins to
support the UMass Boston graduate teacher
training program, New England’s only degree
granting program for teachers of the visually impaired, and to expand Perkins’ own
training activities. We have remodeled space into a training center, hired a manager
and have increased the number of trainings that we run here on campus and at sites
throughout New England.
Spring & Summer trainings include:
Children with Visual Impairment and Autism
Perkins School for the Blind
Vocational Technical Training for Students
Who Are Blind and Visually Impaired
New Hampshire
Learning Media Assessment
Massachusetts & Rhode Island
Low Vision Assessment
Connecticut & Vermont
Perkins Lower School Family Conference
Perkins School for the Blind
Teaching Math
Maine
Outreach Summer Institute—Daily Living Skills
Perkins School for the Blind
10
Developing skills for working professionals
Goals of the Perkins Training Center:
• Provide training, workshops, conferences and seminars to professionals.
• Work with New England agencies and programs to increase the number of
trained professionals.
• Assist local states in the development of training for working professionals.
• Develop and distribute audio/visual training materials.
• Offer training in locations throughout New England including on the Perkins campus.
Through regional and local
training, Perkins Training
Center helps dedicated
and sometimes isolated
professionals throughout
New England to develop
and refine their skills in
order to be the best service
providers possible.
Betsy Bixler, Manager
Perkins Training Center
Phone: 617-972-7213
[email protected]
11
Perkins History Museum
T
he Perkins campus now boasts a beautiful and
informative museum. Designed by Perkins staff
and museum specialists, it showcases Perkins and
the education of people who are blind or deafblind.
Special attention went to ensure that the museum is
accessible to people with disabilities.
Unlike at a traditional museum, the public is encouraged
Anne Sullivan
to touch many of the items on exhibit. Listening stations and
braille transcriptions enhance the learning experience. The museum
also has two accessible computer kiosks where people can dig deeper into the rich
Perkins history.
Perkins H
istory M
useum
2:00-4:00
pm
Tuesdays &
Thursdays
617-924-7
767
HistoryMu
seum@Perk
ins.org
12
A multi-sensory journey for all!
THE COLLECTION INCLUDES:
• Exhibits dedicated to Laura Bridgman,
Anne Sullivan and Helen Keller.
• A first edition copy of Charles Dickens’
Old Curiosity Shop in Boston Line Type,
a gift from Charles Dickens himself.
• Henry David Thoreau’s letter of
application for employment at Perkins.
• Refurbished tactile globe from 1837.
• Displays of historic braille machines.
Much more!
13
R EFLECTIONS
PERKINS
PEOPLE
AND
HAPPENINGS
ON
AND
OFF
CAMPUS
Butterflies
For two months, students in a
Deafblind Program classroom studied
the life cycle of several real-life
butterflies. Watching and touching
the larva, then the caterpillars, then
the cocoons and the chrysalis, then
the butterflies, was educational and
fun. The final day of releasing the
butterflies in the greenhouse of
the new Thomas & Bessie
Pappas Horticulture Center
was even better, knowing that
the beautiful creatures had
such a beautiful new home.
Books and Tapes for Everyone
Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library provides free books
and tapes to over 19,000 people every year. Yet it is estimated
that a further 156,000 people in Massachusetts who are legally
blind or have physical disabilities that make it difficult to read
print, particularly elders with recent vision loss, are eligible
for services. In order to reach more people, Perkins Braille &
Talking Book Library has teamed up with the Massachusetts
Commission for the Blind to contact people who might
benefit from our free library services. Reading is for everyone.
In the words of Kim Charlson, Director of Perkins Braille &
Talking Book Library and a patron herself, “Reading is a
liberating force that can add new, exciting dimensions to
your life.”
14
If you or anyone you know
might benefit from free books
and tapes from Perkins Braille &
Talking Book Library, contact:
1-800-852-3133.
Perkins Student in the Eisenhower Archives
For almost fifty years Perkins graduate John Beaulieu hadn’t
thought about the letter he wrote President Dwight D. Eisenhower
in 1956. Back then, he did receive a response from the President,
praising John for his braille skill. This year, he received a different
message — an invitation to the National Archives where his letter
was about to be put on display in an exhibition of correspondence
with Presidents. Not even John Beaulieu’s teacher would have
imagined such long-term impact of one social studies assignment.
Education really is timeless.
Perkins Boston Project
We are pleased to announce a new initiative to work with children in Boston public
schools who are blind or visually impaired. Research has shown that children in
public schools are often the only blind student in their class and rarely take part in
extracurricular activities. With funding from The Boston Foundation, Perkins will
now be able to expand our weekend and vacation outreach programs for public
school students. This partnership with community organizations, parents, families
and Perkins will provide opportunities for local children to participate in activities
with peers who, like themselves, are blind or visually impaired.
Tsunami Relief
This winter Perkins students
rallied to help victims of the
Indian Ocean tsunami. Students
and staff in our Lower School,
the Deafblind Program, and
high school students and staff in
the Secondary Program ran
bake sales and collected funds
for people on the other side of
the world recovering from the
disaster. Perkins supported
two initiatives in Sri Lanka,
including help to families from
a school for the blind. Perkins
students understand that we’re
all a part of the human family
and that we should all help
one another.
15
Celtics PSA
The Boston Celtics filmed a
public service announcement
(PSA) for their Read to Achieve
literacy initiative. Perkins
students were thrilled that very
tall Celtics players, Paul Pierce
and Delonte West, read them
stories. Students then read
books from National Braille
Press to Coach Dock Rivers.
Look for Perkins students in the
PSA on Fox Sports Network
(FSN) New England during
Celtics’ games and nationally
during other NBA games
this season.
Welcome New Members to the Board
After 33 years of service to Perkins School for the Blind, C. Richard Carlson, Chair of Perkins
Board of Trustees, has assumed a new position as Chairman of the Perkins Corporation. We thank
Mr. Carlson for so many years of remarkable leadership.
We are proud to announce that Janet B. James has become the Chair of Perkins Board of Trustees.
She has been a member of Perkins Visiting Committee since 1993 and a member of the Board of
Trustees since 1996. She is a Partner of RockPort Capital Partners, a Boston-based venture capital fund.
The Board of Trustees has recently expanded to include three dynamic new members.
Paul S. Goodof, previously of Meredith & Grew, Inc., is a financial and management consultant in
private practice. He served on Perkins Board of Trustees from 1984 to 1996. We are delighted to have
him back.
Corinne B. Grousbeck is a founding member of the Children’s Hospital Boston Trust and a
previous Vice President of Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising in San Francisco. She is an active member
of many charities and is the proud mother of a Perkins student.
Paul Raia, Ph.D., is Director of Patient Care and Family Support at the Alzheimer’s Association,
Massachusetts chapter. He also serves as a consultant to nursing homes and assisted living facilities
throughout the United States. He is a graduate of Perkins School for the Blind.
16
Children in Sri Lanka & Vietnam
Perkins School for the Blind is committed to helping
some of the most vulnerable and neglected children
in the world—children who are deafblind or blind
with multiple disabilities in developing countries.
The School for the Blind in Ratmalana, Sri Lanka, and
the Nhat Hong School for the Blind in Ho Chi Minh
City, Vietnam, have recently expanded their services
to include children who are deafblind and blind with
multiple disabilities, respectively. In Sri Lanka, the
Hilton/Perkins Program has enabled the school to
expand its resources and hire additional staff so
family members no longer have to board at the school
to take care of their children after school hours. A
teacher from Vietnam has been studying on the
Perkins campus and at Boston College through Perkins Educational Leadership Program. She will return
to Vietnam with new educational ideas to help the Nhat Hong school reach even more children.
Perkins Billboard
Throughout Massachusetts, you may see billboards of Perkins School for the Blind proclaiming,
“All We See Is Possibility.” Thank you to Clear Channel Outdoor for donating the billboard space
and to Hill Holliday for donating the design. Perkins and the 60,000 people we help every year
are fortunate to have such friends.
17
How to Help
T
here are many ways to make a difference at Perkins.
Join others who are helping children and adults who are
blind, deafblind or have multiple disabilities reach their greatest
possible independence. Here are some ideas:
• Make a gift of cash, appreciated securities, or personal property.
• Make a gift online at www.Perkins.org/Donate
• Leave a legacy by remembering Perkins School for the Blind in
your will.
• Provide you or your loved ones with income for life by establishing
a Charitable Gift Annuity.
• Create an endowed fund supporting a special program.
• Donate through your employer’s matching gift program or payroll
deduction program. You might double or triple your contribution
to Perkins!
• Honor a loved one with a memorial or tribute gift for birthdays,
weddings, graduations and other important events.
• Ask your company to become a Corporate Sponsor.
• Volunteer by giving a few hours a month — or more — and find
out how much of a difference you can make in the life of another.
For more information on any of these opportunities, please call
Kathleen Brittan at 617-972-7284 or visit www.Perkins.org.
18
Photo credits: Bruce Blakeslee, 15; John Kennard, cover, 13, 19 (top);
Perkins archives, 2, 3 (top 3), 4 - 6, 7 (bottom), 9, 10, 12, 14, 17;
courtesy of Boston Herald, 3 (bottom), 16; Mark Ostow, 11; courtesy
of Marla Runyan, 7 (top); Heather Bohm-Tallman, 19 (bottom).
19
PERKINS SCHOOL
Perkins School for the
Blind was incorporated
March 2, 1829. The school is
an accredited member of the New England
Association of Schools and Colleges and
the National Association of Independent
Schools. It is licensed by the Massachusetts
Department of Education and Mental
Retardation and by the Commonwealth’s
Office of Child Care Services.
FOR THE
BLIND
Perkins School for the Blind admits
students of any race, gender, color, creed,
national and ethnic origin to all the rights,
privileges, programs, and activities generally
accorded or made available to students at the
school. It does not discriminate on the basis of
race, gender, color, creed, national or ethnic
origin in the administration of its educational
policies, scholarship, athletic and other schooladministered programs.
Perkins School for the Blind
175 North Beacon Street
Watertown, MA 02472
www.Perkins.org
Tel: 617.924.3434
Fax: 617.972.7334
All we see is possibility.
Editor: Robert Guthrie
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