Monroe County Council of the Blind

The following was submitted by a MCCB member. The views and opinions are those solely of the author and do not reflect those of The Monroe County Council of the Blind.

It’s May 11, Mother’s Day 2008 and as I always do, I spent sometime today
reflecting about my children, where they are now and how much I actually had
to do with that.

I moved to the Poconos in 1992 when my daughters were three and just shy of
one year.  Not long after, in 1996 I found myself in the roll of single
parent.  It was time to make some very hard choices.  Do I move into town
where it might be easier for me to get around or, do I choose to find a
place to live that would allow my daughters to continue in the schools they
were already enrolled in and where they had already established friendships.
I chose the latter.  I never realized what a difficult road I would embarque
upon.  For the most part, my children could not attend after school
activities unless their friends attended and they could car pool with other
parents.  Shopping for their clothes, for food and in general, just finding
ways to manage the everyday chores required of me as their only caretaker
proved a challenge that more often than not felt like putting together a jig
saw puzzle.  For years I questioned my decision to keep them in their status
quo.  I suffered periods of guilt and depression over what I perceived they
were missing in the growing up process.

Now that my daughters are 17 and almost 20 we have had some pretty profound
discussions and much to my surprise and utter astonishment, they tell me
they never felt like they were missing anything at all.  They assure me, in
all sincerity, that they did what they wanted to do in and out of school.
While surely I would have driven them to the end of the earth if I could
have, they tell me that what I did give them that was far more valuable was
an openness toward all people, despite race, religion, appearance,
disability or any such defining feature.  They are, as I reflect today, two
of the most accepting young people I know and those they bring to our home
in friendship reflect this as well.

I suppose as parents we all question ourselves, we self-assess and feel
guilty for one thing or another but, today, as I listened to my daughters
read their cards to me, I could finally let go of some of my fears, some of
those old feelings of inadequacy.  You see, not despite my disability but
because of it, I brought my children a unique sense of self and an example
of strength, endurance and determination to emulate, at least that’s what
they tell me.

Mary Ann Alexander

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Filed under: Member Editorial

Seventy-eight year old Dale Davis bowled a perfect game, 300. Oh, I almost forgot to mention, he’s blind.

According to the article:

It was quite a thrill,” Davis told the Storm Lake Times in Storm Lake, Iowa. “When I got to the tenth frame, I said ‘Lord, let me throw three more good balls.’ When I did, people on other teams were yelling and cheering.

Fortunately his perfection came during league play. I’m sure some would have doubted him otherwise.

Congratulations Mr. Davis!

Read the article here…

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Family Connect from the American Foundation for the Blind , , is sponsoring an event at NYC’s Rubin Museum of Art.

RMA guides will provide the attendees with close, careful descriptions of images and sculpture, helping them to form visualizations of the pieces. Participants will be invited to touch objects — including sculpture, art materials, wood blocks, and ritual implements — and experience some of the sacred sounds and smells of the Himalayas through incense and traditional music.

Read the press release here…

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Fortunately, the young 8 year old was not badly injured.

People in the visually impaired and blind community have been concerned about these cars for several years. A bill (HR-5734) currently in Congress, seeks to provide solutions that will impact not only those who are visually impaired, but as this latest case shows, children, bicyclists, runners and others.

Owen Erickson was not badly hurt, though he did end up on the hood of the car. But when the car’s driver moved his Toyota Prius from the street to the curb, Flannigan noticed something. “I saw the car, but I could not hear anything,” she recalled about the hybrid vehicle which was operating on battery power at the time. “It is totally silent.”

Read more here…

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Filed under: Quiet Cars

Fred’s Head Companion  from American Printing House for the Blind has a post regarding a traveling  museum featuring a history of tactile education in the blind community.

From the post:

The exhibit explores the fascinating history of inventions and adaptations that have transformed visual information into tactile forms, giving those with vision loss quality educational opportunities and greater independence.

Read the article here…

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