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Spring 2002
Perkins School for the Blind
THE LANTERN


Cover Photo: Deafblind Program student Monica Garcia at an all-campus field day with teacher Angela Muscetta-Smith and Occupational Therapist RenŽ Allen.


CAPTION: Please visit our new web site at www.Perkins.org


MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR:  In this issue of The Lantern, we are proud to highlight a number of new developments at Perkins.

Perkins has long been a worldwide leader in the education of blind, deafblind and multihandicapped children. In this spirit, we are especially pleased to announce the launch of our new Web site. We also bring you news from China where the Hilton/Perkins Program is helping to introduce services to preschoolers who are blind and to children who are multihandicapped blind.

We are also proud of our on-campus students for their innovative and far-reaching responses to September 11th.

As always, I would like to recognize all members of the Perkins family - students, parents, staff, volunteers, and donors. Our work is a reflection of all of you.

Kevin J. Lessard, Director



CONTENTS:

AUTHORS' BRUNCH - Famous mystery writers at Perkins
NEW SCHOOLS IN CHINA - A partnership between Perkins and the
Chinese government
PERKINS CARES - Perkins student runs for America
NEW WEB SITE - Delivering Perkins' message through the Web
REFLECTIONS - Life on and off Perkins campus
HELEN KELLER/ANNE SULLIVAN CIRCLE - Undoing trouble

The Lantern SPRING 2002
VOLUME LXXI, NUMBER 2


PERKINS BRAILLE AND TALKING BOOK LIBRARY MYSTERY AUTHORS' BRUNCH:

On Tuesday, April 30, over 225 patrons of Perkins Braille and Talking Book Library, members of the general public and Perkins students ate a simple brunch while three renowned mystery writers spoke about the importance of reading for everyone. Robert Parker, Michael Palmer and BarbaraNeely also answered questions and later autographed books. In this time of decreased funding for our library, it was heartening to come together and reflect on the importance of library services for everyone.

"Citizens of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts who are blind or visually handicapped have the same rights as all citizens. And one of those inalienable rights is the freedom to access library services... Access to reading materials creates equality and opportunity to compete successfully at school and in employment." - Kevin J. Lessard, Director, Perkins School for the Blind.

"Day in and day out I talk with patrons of Perkins Braille and Talking Book
Library who depend on its services for leisure reading, for educational efforts, professional growth, personal information and community involvement." - Kim Charlson, Director, Perkins Braille and Talking Book Library.

"My first reading experiences were aural. My father used to read to me when I was a small boy. Right after supper in the wing chair, he would read to me books a little older than I was." Robert B. Parker, author of the Spenser and Jesse Stone novels, including WIDOW'S WALK, released this month.

"One of the great heroes in my life is my sister's husband, Clyde, who is blind...
All that he has done with his life and his handicap is to go to law school, make it through with honors, ride a bicycle by himself across the country. It's a joy to come here because I do know how much reading means to Clyde." Michael Palmer, author of nine NEW YORK TIMES best-selling medical thrillers and his new novel FATAL.


THE FOLLOWING ARE PULL-OUT QUOTES AND CAPTIONS INCLUDED IN THE "PERKINS BRAILLE AND TALKING BOOK LIBRARY MYSTERY AUTHORS' BRUNCH" FEATURE:

CAPTION: "Access to the printed word opens so many pathways to us. Whether we read with our eyes, with our ears, or with our fingers, I can think of nothing more beneficial or enjoyable."- Dean Denniston, Perkins Braille and Talking Book Library patron

PHOTO CAPTION:  Three famous mystery writers entertained patrons of Perkins Braille and Talking Book Library, the general public and Perkins students.

CAPTION: "All of us are in some ways invisible to the larger society. So I decided to use this book to demonstrate what a powerful tool that invisibility is - because while nobody looks at you, you are seeing and hearing EVERYTHING." -BarbaraNeely, author of the Blanche White mystery novels



NEW SCHOOLS IN CHINA - A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN PERKINS AND THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT:

China, the country with the single largest blind population in the world, has had no preschool for blind children nor programs for multihandicapped blind children until a recent collaboration between Perkins and the Chinese government. This is a significant development, for early intervention is one of the highest indicators of later success for people who are blind. Also, in the past children in China with multiple disabilities were often put in orphanages and received no formal education.

After four years of planning with the Hilton/Perkins Program, six schools for the blind are now serving as model sites for China's first preschool. The schools, which were previously restricted to blind or visually handicapped kids only, also are hosting the first programs for multihandicapped blind students.

The Chinese host schools are large, well-established schools with excellent teachers, many who have taken part in training programs led by Perkins teachers. Launched in the fall 2001, the pilot programs will last three years, at which time the Chinese government hopes to use these as models for sixty additional schools throughout China. It is a brighter day in one corner of the world for children who are blind or multihandicapped blind.


THE FOLLOWING ARE PULL-OUT QUOTES AND CAPTIONS INCLUDED IN THE "NEW SCHOOLS IN CHINA" FEATURE:

PHOTO CAPTION:  This is the first time blind preschoolers and multihandicapped blind children have received services in China.
New Schools in China

MAP CAPTION:  New Projects are located in Chengdu, Beijing, Qingdao,Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Guangzhou

PHOTO CAPTION:  Some of the teachers in China's new programs have studied at Perkins.  Perkins staff have trained other teachers in China itself.

PHOTO CAPTION:  An additional 60 schools throughout China have been targeted to introduce services for preschool blind and multihandicapped blind children.

PHOTO CAPTION:  China has the largest blind population in the world.


PERKINS CARES - 5K RUN AROUND BOSTON COMMON:

Just after September 11th, Luis Marquez, a high-school aged student in Perkins Secondary Program, was heard saying that he didn't usually mind being blind, but now he did because he couldn't join the military to help the United States. But Luis quickly turned those feelings into action. He decided to run a 5K race around Boston Common to raise money for families of local U.S. Reserves who had been deployed on homeland defense. He also wanted to attract media attention, because he wanted the general public to know that blind people, too, could help the country.

Luis' run was a huge success. He ran Boston Common with members of the Reserves, was interviewed on television and the radio, and raised over $600 to the Reserves' Family Fund. Afterward, New England Reserves' highest ranking General presented Luis with a special award.

Other Perkins students got into the spirit as well - Deafblind
Program, Lower School and Secondary Program students created an American Flag of red, white and blue handprints and the words: Perkins Cares, Perkins School for the Blind says thank you. The banner now flies on the U.S.S. Carl Vinson, an aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea.


THE FOLLOWING ARE PULL-OUT QUOTES AND CAPTIONS INCLUDED IN THE "PERKINS CARES" FEATURE:

CAPTION:  "I wanted to do something to help my country."- Luis Marquez on television's WBZ Channel 4 News

CAPTION:  "He has found a way to do his part to contribute to what's going on in the country. He should be commended for it."- Frank Wiser, Chaplain of U.S. Amy Reserves




WWW.PERKINS.ORG:  PERKINS ANNOUNCES NEW WEB SITE

After two years of development, we are pleased to announce the launch of our new Web site. The site is content-rich and accessible. Information is available on our current services as well as our history, and testimonials bring the Perkins experience to life.

Valuable input came from representatives from Perkins programs and an accessibility committee (comprised of staff, outside professionals and alumni who are either blind, have low vision or are sighted). Web liaisons from the programs will continually contribute updates to this ever-evolving site.

For people who are blind, the layout is easy for speech translation systems and does not require that a visitor go to an alternative text-only site. Photographs contain written descriptions. People with low vision can choose the font size and color combination of print that best facilitate their reading and can enlarge the pictures. For sighted people, the layout and photos capture the feeling of Perkins.

We are excited to bring a more comprehensive portrait of Perkins to web users around the world.


THE FOLLOWING ARE PULL-OUT QUOTES AND CAPTIONS INCLUDED IN THE "WWW.PERKINS.ORG:  PERKINS ANNOUNCES NEW WEB SITE" FEATURE:

CAPTION:  To learn about volunteering, employment or any of the programs and services at Perkins, please visit our new Web site www.Perkins.org


CAPTION:  "The Perkins Web site is for everyone - not just particularly for people who are blind, or have low vision or are sighted. It's for people in offices with the most updated technology and for people in places like Ghana where they might have older computers but still have a need for information..."
- Kimberly Emrick Kittredge, Perkins Web Master


CAPTION:  Welcome to Perkins new Web site. Please visit. Learn more about Perkins.  And have fun.  www.Perkins.org



REFLECTIONS - PERKINS PEOPLE AND HAPPENINGS ON AND OFF CAMPUS:


Music and Mingling

Over 60 students from high schools for the blind in Maryland, North Carolina, Philadelphia and West Virginia carried musical instruments and choir costumes to Perkins for a combined gala concert. The culmination of months of practice at their home schools, the event was a chance for kids to share their talents and make new friends. The concert and reception were open to the public. The dance was private and thundered with a different kind of music.


For the Team

As do high school kids everywhere, many Perkins students love team sports - the camaraderie, the thrill of competition, the satisfaction of honing a skill, the pride of wearing a uniform... The season can be marked by sports. Fall is swimming and rowing; winter wrestling, skiing and cheerleading; spring goal ball, rowing and track. One of the most popular days for athletes, cheerleaders and spectators is Perkins annual students and staff goal ball tournament. Designed for people who are blind, goal ball is similar to soccer, but is played inside on the floor. Athletes feel their position marked by raised tape and listen for a ball with a bell. Players wear blindfolds. This year, as every year, Perkins staff were the only ones who experienced the agony of defeat.


Spreading the Word

Conferences are a huge part of life at Perkins. Staff travel the country and the world as speakers, lecturers and organizers. We host scores of conferences at Perkins as well. Recently, Dr. Sharon Bradley-Johnson and Dr. Sandra Morgan were invited to Perkins to run a workshop on assessing children with low-incidence disabilities. Both are highly regarded in their fields and offered two invaluable days of information in another dynamic conference season. Perkins is proud to be an important part of enriching the community of service providers.


Welcoming Totem

Lindsey Giblin from Boston's private Commonwealth School spent a month with students in the Deafblind Program. After observing classes, talking with teachers and learning some sign language, Lindsey began a crafts project - creating a totem pole. Every classroom worked on one section that represented a specific means of communication, such as sign language, pictures, or tactile symbols. The final product stretches almost 10 feet tall from a base of Astroturf with plastic daisies and welcomes everyone to the second floor of the Hilton Building.


Good Times

This winter Perkins Deafblind Program sponsored a reunion for staff who worked in the 1960's and 70's. Over 60 people reconnected with past colleagues and friends.
They reminisced, watched a Perkins video from that era and poured over old photographs. But it was not "long-time-no-see" for everyone - for many are active experts in the field in deafblindness and quite a few still bring their expertise daily to Perkins as staff members. Those were - and are - the days.


A Birthday Celebration for Everyone

The invitations for Miranda Kotidis' 7th birthday party sparkled with pictures of bright balloons, party hats, smiley faces and photos of the indoor playground where she and her guests would bounce, climb, play and sing "Happy Birthday." The invitations also announced that instead of presents, Miranda, who had learned through the Girl Scouts how charities help people, would have a collection for charities she selected. Perkins is proud to have been one of those charities. Miranda, thank you for including, in your special way, Perkins students at your birthday party.


Winning Words

Perkins first official ambassador, Olympic runner Marla Runyan, was the keynote speaker at Perkins annual conference for parents of infants, toddlers and preschoolers who are blind or have low vision. An affable woman with an inspiring personality and story, Marla helped the crowd of over 360 family members laugh and see the potential of their children. Marla, who began losing her sight as a child, who has earned a masters degree and who has run in the Olympics, embodies that potential.


In the Spirit

Charles Dickens was so moved during his visit to Perkins School for the Blind in 1842 that he wrote about Perkins in his book, "American Notes," which was later read by Helen Keller's mother as she searched for help for her daughter. The spirit of Charles Dickens brought Helen to Perkins, and Helen Keller, through her writing and achievements, continues to inspire so many. Last Christmastime, Perkins students were moved by a man with great spirit and a link to the past
- Gerald Dickens, the great-great grandson of Charles Dickens. An accomplished actor and director, Gerald Dickens recreates his great-great grandfather's
"A Christmas Carol" every year throughout Great Britain, Canada and the United States (including Boston's prestigious Shubert Theatre). About 100 Perkins students and staff crowded our chapel to hear Bob Cratchet, Ebenezer Scrooge, some ghosts and Tiny Tim. Mr. Dickens was riveting and sent the audience into peals of laughter, stunned silence and uproarious applause. Gerald Dickens brought the spirit of Charles Dickens back to Perkins. The faces of Perkins enraptured audience brought students' spirit to the younger Mr. Dickens.



HELEN KELLER/ANNE SULLIVAN CIRCLE:

The Perkins family is made up of so many compassionate people who donate funds to help our students and clients reach beyond expectations. The Helen Keller/Anne Sullivan Circle is a special group who have donated leadership gifts to the general support of Perkins. We thank every donor to Perkins for his or her interest and support. We also would like to celebrate a few members of the Helen Keller/Anne Sullivan Circle who help make the magic of Perkins possible.

When Peter Kaufmann, brother of Carla Lynton (a long-time volunteer in Perkins
Deafblind Program) celebrated a recent milestone birthday, he suggested that instead of gifts, friends and family could contribute financially to Perkins in memory of her husband, Ernest. He even matched every donation. Over $33,000 has arrived from all over Europe and America. Happy Birthday!
And thank you!

For many years, Ellen Brown annually contributed $10 to Perkins - until the year she attended a concert of Perkins students performing in our handbell choir. She then increased her donation to $10,000. Mrs. Brown has been in a handbell choir for years and understood the challenges that every student faces. "Perkins is great," said Mrs. Brown who has given at that generous level for the past three years. "I know my gift will be used well."

George Lucas, a retired local postal clerk, wrote a $25 check annually to Perkins for over 20 years. An Air Force veteran, and "a quiet gentleman who invested wisely and spent frugally," he left a $25,000 bequest to Perkins upon his death. We are especially grateful to Mr. Lucas and to so many others like him who have remembered Perkins in their wills.

Thank you, everyone.


THE FOLLOWING ARE PULL-OUT QUOTES AND CAPTIONS INCLUDED IN THE "HELEN KELLER/ANNE SULLIVAN CIRCLE" FEATURE:

CAPTION:  "Sure the world is full of trouble, but as long as we have people undoing trouble, we have a pretty good world." - Helen Keller

CAPTION:  The Perkins family is made up of so many concerned and compassionate people.


MEMORIAL AND HONORARY GIFTS:

Honor a friend or family member through the Tribute Program at Perkins. Gifts made "in memory" commemorate the life of a loved one who has passed away, while a gift made "in honor" celebrates a special occasion such as a birthday, graduation, anniversary, or other important event.

A moving testimonial to a friend or loved one, tribute gifts support the important programs at Perkins and make a difference in the lives of our blind, deafblind and multihandicapped blind students.

After we receive your tribute, we send a letter to the bereaved family or the person being honored to inform them of your kindness. We also send you a note to thank you for your generosity. The amount of your gift is always kept confidential. All gifts are tax-deductible.

We are often asked what amount should be sent for a memorial or in honor gift. A good rule of thumb is to send what you would spend on flowers. Many gifts range from $50 to $500 or more. But, the only "right" amount is the one your heart tells you to send.

To make a tribute gift, please send your check to: Perkins School for the Blind, 175 North Beacon Street, Watertown, MA 02472, Attn: Development Office, Tribute Program. Or, call (617) 972-7328 to make a donation with your MasterCard or VISA.

Please be sure to include the full name and address of the person to whom you wish us to acknowledge your gift.



THE PERKINS ENDOWMENT:

Perkins School for the Blind provides an opportunity for generous and caring individuals to help the blind and multihandicapped children and adults who benefit from our programs and services. The gifts and bequests of Perkins friends make it possible for the school to sustain the excellent quality of services that has been the Perkins hallmark for more than one hundred and seventy years.

While a few foundations and government grants enable Perkins to initiate new programs, the consistent support of donors makes it possible for us to continue our academic, residential, and home-based programs for the many students in our care.

If you wish to make Perkins School the recipient of a personal bequest, the following form may be used:

I hereby give, devise and bequeath to the Perkins School for the Blind, a corporation duly organized and existing under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the sum of
..................................dollars ($..................), the same to be applied to the general uses and purposes of said corporation under the direction of its Board of Trustees; and I do hereby direct that the receipt of the Treasurer for the time being of said corporation shall be sufficient discharge to my executors for the same.

Bequest donors automatically become members of the Thomas H. Perkins Society.

Such a notice may be sent to the Treasurer of the corporation as follows:
The Planned Giving Office
Perkins School for the Blind
175 North Beacon Street
Watertown, Massachusetts 02472
617-972-7284


PHOTO CAPTION:  This photograph of orientation and mobility training in Perkins Outreach Program appeared in Perkins 2001 Annual Report. For copies of the Annual Report, please contact Perkins Public Relations Office, (617) 972-7335.


Photo credits:
Ideas Associates: 15 (right); John Kennard: cover, 3 (top 3),4-5, 8-10, 11 (2 top left and right), 12 (top), 13, 14 (top), 17; Kotidis family, 15 (middle); Mark Ostow: 1, 18-19; David Del Poio: 11 (top middle), 12(bottom 2).



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.

The Perkins School for the Blind admits students of any race, 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, color, creed, national or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, scholarship, and athletic and other school-administrated programs.



Perkins School for the Blind
175 North Beacon Street
Watertown, MA 02472
Tel: 617.924.3434
Fax: 617.926.2027
www.Perkins.org

Editor: Robert Guthrie