In this issueToday’s Miracle Workers

Sharing the Spirit

Someone Who Writes

How to Help

S P R I N G 2 0 0 6

The Lantern

Please join us as wetake a look at today’sMiracle’s Workers.

Message f rom the Pres ident

At Perkins School for the Blind we know a lot about the tremendous

accomplishments of our alumnae Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan. We know

about the famous stage play and film, The Miracle Worker. We also know that

behind what is sometimes perceived as a miracle is in fact the result of hours,

months and years of hard work.

Every page of The Lantern magazine is filled with accomplishments that some

might call miracles. We hope that you will come to understand that there is

challenging work, unparalleled dedication and remarkable skill behind these

accomplishments. This includes the children and adults we serve on campus,

in the community and internationally.

We are pleased to bring you an overview of today’s Miracle Workers. They

are teachers, program aides, and therapists. They are social workers and

vocational teachers. They are all of our staff who work directly with Perkins

students and those who provide valuable support. We are grateful for their

dedication and the difference they make everyday. We hope you will be, too.

On behalf of the students, staff, families, alumni, volunteers, and trustees of

Perkins School for the Blind, thank you for being a part of the Perkins family.

Sincerely,

Steven M. Rothstein

President

Perkins School for the Blind

Cover: A speech & languagepathologist and a program aidework with children in PerkinsPreschool Program.

Today’s Miracle Workers ......page 4

Sharing the Spirit ......................page 8

Someone Who Writes ............page 10

Reflections at Perkins ............page 12

How to Help ..............................page 18

Contents

The Lantern SPRING 2006

VOLUME LXXV, NUMBER 2

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TODAY’S

24 hour education plan

MIRACLEWORKERS

A science teacher in PerkinsSecondary Program helps studentsunderstand the concept of a circuit.

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Remarkable things happen every day at Perkins School for the Blind. Ababy learns to lift up his head without the incentive of something to look at. A mother learns that whenher child turns away, he’s not avoiding her but repositioning himself in order to better hear her. Apreschooler takes his first steps with a training cane that looks like two upside down candy-canes. Ayoung boy understands that the bumps beneath his fingers represent a word. A high school studentuses a voice reproduction system on her computer to email her sighted and blind friends. A teenagerwho’s deafblind begins his first day of part-time work.

Some would say that these events are miracles.

They’re not. They are the result of hard work. They

are the result of children trying to be their best and

having faith in the possible. They are also the result

of the guidance of Perkins’ staff.

In The Miracle Worker stage play and film, Anne

Sullivan, a Perkins alumna herself, works tirelessly

one-on-one with young Helen Keller. But in today’s

reality, at Perkins School for the Blind the more

things change, the more they stay the same. Many

children receive individual attention, such as

preschoolers who are blind learning to eat indepen-

dently and students in high school developing skills

to triumph over being both blind and dyslexic. In

addition, just as Helen Keller did, students of all ages

and abilities in all programs learn through touch.

Yet there is a profound difference between the

C O N T I N U E D . . .

Social workers and teachers are among the team that work with families inPerkins Infant/Toddler Program.

An orientation & mobility specialist helps a Lower Schoolstudent learn to navigate safely.

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original Miracle Worker and today at Perkins.

While Helen Keller only had Anne Sullivan,

Perkins students now have a group of profession-

als assembled around them. A Perkins education

is 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Classroom

teachers help with academic skills and preparation

for today’s rigorous standardized tests such as

MCAS. Orientation & mobility specialists help

students learn how to get around safely. Physical,

speech and occupational therapists are key mem-

bers of a student’s team, as are psychologists,

nurses and other on-campus health professionals.

Program aides support students in the classroom,

the dining room and getting ready for bed.

Everyone works together with one goal – helping

students reach for their best.

Just as Perkins sent Anne Sullivan off campus

to help Helen Keller at the child’s home, Perkins

staff today travels the state of Massachusetts, help-

ing babies and toddlers in their homes. Today

they also visit public schools to support main-

streamed students who are blind. Staff also train

professionals across New England and write books

used by teachers and families around the world.

Anne Sullivan traveled overnight from Boston

to the Keller residence in Tuscumbia, Alabama.

Today, Perkins staff fly overnight to developing

countries to help establish, expand and support

programs for deafblind children and children who

are blind with additional disabilities. Through the

Hilton/Perkins Program, we train professionals to

lead their own services for these children who too

often are left behind.

The legacy of Anne Sullivan and Helen Keller

is thriving for over 70,000 people served directly by

Perkins every year. Today’s miracle workers are still

the Perkins staff who work hard to help in so many

different ways. ■

TODAY’SMIRACLE

WORKERS continued

A vocational teacher helps a student develop moneyskills in the Perkins student-run snack bar.

A program aide and a Secondary Program student.

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Since our founding, Perkins School for the Blind has been the teacher of teachers.

This past year we trained over 2,000 teachers and other professionals in public

schools. To help ensure the future of teacher training programs at Perkins, we

recently received a $150,000 challenge grant from an anonymous donor. All

gifts and donations for teacher training will be matched by that generous donor.

A classroom teacher and student in Lower School.

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Wednesday, May 10th, come to campus to share the spirit of Perkins. Cocktails in our historicHowe Building, dinner under a tent, and performances by students make for a heartfelt andinspiring evening. Visit the What’s New area of the Perkins Website, www.perkins.org, or call 617-972-7583 to learn about becoming part of our annual fundraiser and making a difference to the 70,000 people we directly serve every year.

Perkins Spring 2006 Gala — A World of Possibilities...begins on the Perkins campus

Sharing the Spirit:

You can make a difference at Perkins School for the Blind. We need your help. Please see page18 for ways to be involved.

Exciting ways to help Perkins School for the Blind

Seeing PossibilitiesThe Perkins Strategic Plan 2005-2010, Seeing

Possibilities, charts a dynamic course of strength-

ening services and reaching out. Please visit the

About Us page of www.perkins.org to learn how

Perkins sees the next five years of possibility. You

can download the brochure or choose a text-only

version. Join our vision, for as Helen Keller said,

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so

much.” In the next five years, Perkins will:

• Ensure that we prepare students for achanging and competitive environment.

• Reach babies, students and elders who are not receiving adequate services.

• Expand internationally.

• Build partnerships with advocates,donors and volunteers.

Having your cake and eating it, too!Planned Giving at Perkins

To learn more about donating to Perkins, receiving lifelong income as well

as tax breaks, contact Alleather Touré at 617-972-7680 to subscribe to the

Thomas H. Perkins Legacy Society Newsletter. Learn how you can increase

your fixed income while also helping Perkins.

... All we see is possibility

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When asked by a Boston Globe reporter what she wants out of life, Katie Condoresponded, “I want to be someone who writes something really good.” Katie grew up with herfamily in Hull, Massachusetts, and has been a high school student in Perkins Secondary Programfor two years. She plans to study to become a lawyer. This year Katie won a speech competitionat Perkins. Here’s an excerpt of her work.

Someonewho writes

“My name is Katie Condo. I’m sixteen years

old and I was born with a condition known as

cerebral palsy which confines me to an electric

wheelchair. To most people, cerebral palsy

would be a devastation to themselves and to

their families, but my family is special. My aunt

once told me that she wasn’t concerned about

my disability, she was just happy I was alive.

My family’s positive attitude has carried me

throughout my entire life, so I am not daunted

by this big metal machine I sit in every day and

neither are they.

I can’t speak of my family without mentioning

my grandmother, Carol Conant, who is the

epitome of positive; she is the glue that holds

the family together. She is one of those people

who can do everything, from sewing your prom

dress, to hot-wiring your wheelchair. Our phi-

losophy on the importance of family originates

with her. We are taught that family is the most

important thing, and that being together is a

rare blessing that we should be happy to receive.

Because of this attitude, she is the kind of

woman I want to be, and even if I am only half

the woman she grew to become, I will be happy.

A couple of weeks ago, she gave me quite a

compliment. She told me I would be the one to

hold the family together after she passed away.

I would be the one to have all the parties, fund

the annual camping trip, host Thanksgiving,

and carry on the family traditions. At first this

prediction shocked me, but then I realized being

so close to her, I had been preparing for this role

all my life.

. . . Having a severe disability can sometimes

make it difficult to get up in the morning

because sometimes I think if I can’t get up by

myself, then what’s the use of getting up at all?

But then I think about people . . . like my grand-

mother, and I realize that maybe there really IS

a reason to get up in the morning, and they

have faith in me, so I should have faith in

myself! Besides, I have to fill my grandmother’s

shoes someday . . . and those are pretty big

shoes to fill.” ■

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P E R K I N S P E O P L E A N D H A P P E N I N G S O N A N D O F F C A M P U S

REFLECTIONSREFLECTIONS

More than Horsing Around Because the family meeting room of the Perkins Infant/Toddler Program is carpeted, two miniature

horses did not have to wear their sneakers when visiting. The two potty-trained horses under 30

inches tall traveled from Hearts and Hooves of the Berkshires (in a truck closer to the size of a van)

to spend a morning at Perkins with babies, toddlers and their families. The soft, gentle horses let

everyone pet them or nestle close. Groups of families in the Infant/Toddler program meet once a

week, and conversations are often about some of the challenges of having children who are blind,

deafblind or blind with additional disabilities. The morning of horses was a morning of fun –

and education – helping a baby learn that, even if she can’t see it, there is an exciting world at

her fingertips.

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The Jazz Inside Us AllAdvanced music students at Perkins hung on

every word and note when jazz composer/pianist

Lisa Hilton conducted a Master Class. Hilton

encouraged students to write music as well as

play it, explaining that “music is about

expressing what we feel inside. Think about

something you’d like to express and how you

can put that to sound. Create a story from that

feeling you have inside.” She also gave a concert

for all of Perkins. “Most kids love jazz; all they

need is to be introduced to it and they’re happy

and smiling.” The faces of staff and students in

the audience proved Hilton’s words true.

Braillers in KenyaStudents who are blind or visually impaired in Kenya are getting

valuable tools for independence. With support from the Hilton

Foundation, The Safaricom Foundation donated 30 Perkins

Braillers for the African Braille Center to distribute to the

schools and education programs with the greatest need. Now

hundreds of students will have the opportunity to use Perkins

Braillers, the pencil and paper for people who are blind. Braille

skills help build independent young adults who will help

improve the lives of those around them. Thank you to all

foundations, groups and individuals who are helping to develop

a new generation of braille readers and society changers.

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A Snorin’ Roarin’ SleepoverOutreach Elementary Weekends bring together

students, ages six-12, who are often the only

children who are blind or visually impaired in their

public schools. Music & movement, reading &

recording at the Perkins Braille & Talking Book

Library and an overnight for Boston students in the

Franklin Park Zoo Tropical Rain Forest were all

ways to make new friends this year. Everyone needs

peers, so the opportunity to meet and share

stories was invaluable and equally as thrilling as

petting exotic animals, riding the Polar Express

Train and producing an audio tape. Thank you to

The Boston Foundation and The Baupost Group

for supporting the zoo event and helping Perkins

reach out to diverse and underserved communities.

Perkins students know about the possibility of discrimination. They know it from their own lives

and from their studies. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day strikes a chord at Perkins. At this year’s

celebration, Perkins chorus and chamber singers performed gospel songs, and a high school

student gave a speech in tribute to civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks. Students were moved to hear

Justice Julian Houston read from his book, New Boy, about being the first black student at his

boarding school. “We have come a long way,” said Perkins President Steven Rothstein in closing

the morning’s events, “but we also have a long way to go to make sure each and every one of you

are not judged by your vision or lack of vision.”

Keeping the Spirit Alive

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The Way of BrailleBraille is the key to employment and independence. Braille is literacy. It’sreading, writing and communicating. “Braille revolutionized the lives ofpeople who are blind, deafblind and visually impaired,” says Kim Charlson,Director of Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library and chair of the BrailleAuthority of North America.

Today that key is being lost. “Technology is both a blessing and a curse,” saysAubrey Webson, head of Perkins programs in Africa and the Caribbean andChairperson of the World Braille Council. “It has increased access toinformation, but at the same time will probably result in an increased numberof blind children who are growing up illiterate. While most people wouldnever imagine telling a sighted first-grader that she didn’t need to learn toread because she could listen to tapes or computers instead, that’s exactlywhat’s happening to many children who are blind.”

Over 70% of blind people are unemployed or underemployed, yet 85%of those who are braille literate are employed.

At Perkins, we believe that every blind child whocan learn braille should be given the opportunityto do so. We teach braille in our classrooms, leadbraille trainings for professionals and produceand distribute the Perkins Brailler around the world.

To learn more about braille, please visitwww.perkins.org and click on “What’s New” toaccess Resource Packets that includes informationon braille, or visit the Perkins history museum inthe Howe Building of our Watertown campusfrom 1 to 4 on Tuesday and Friday afternoons.

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The Heart of JumpingPerkins Annual Jump Rope for Heart is a win from all angles. Perkins students get important

exercise, a vital part of Perkins’ 24-hour education plan. Everyone has a chance to jump,

including children in wheelchairs who get to roll back and forth over the rope or get a

temporary lift from staff. The American Heart Association receives money raised in this

student-led fundraiser. Perkins students enjoy giving back to the community, but above all

everyone gets the satisfaction of helping.

Technology—Preparing for the FutureThe Web is a great equalizer for people who are blind.

Speech translation equipment, screen readers and other

devices make it possible for Perkins students to surf the

Web and have access to the same information available to

sighted people. Because computers, the Web and assistive

technology open doors to further education and

employment, Perkins has recently increased the number

of computers and printers in all cottages. The Secondary

Program residential cottages now have WIFI, wireless

internet access. As a part of Perkins 24-hour education

program, students are surfing their way into the future.

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Everyone’s Best FriendFor two students in Perkins Deafblind Program,

volunteering at Buddy Dog is more than good old-

fashioned fun. It’s an important part of building

vocational skills. One morning a week, these two

students travel with their vocational teacher/job

coach to the shelter for dogs and cats. They help with

feeding, cleaning and the essential task of petting the

animals. The boys learn about keeping a schedule,

accountability and responsibility. Perkins graciously

thanks Buddy Dog and the 39 other local businesses

that have provided job training to Perkins students.

Thank you for giving Perkins students the chance

to prove themselves.

After the TsunamiLast year Perkins students and staff raised funds to

help students at the Ratmalana School for the Blind in

Sri Lanka whose family homes were devastated by the

Indian Ocean tsunami. We knew the teachers and

children because the Hilton/Perkins Program had

been providing technical and professional support

before the disaster. Funds from Perkins students and

staff have been used to buy clothing and household

items for the families associated with the school and

to provide food and books for all families of the

village. In addition, the Hilton/Perkins program has

increased its work with the school to open an

additional classroom for children who are deafblind.

The effects of the tsunami will be felt for decades. We

are grateful that in one small way Perkins students

and the Hilton/Perkins Program have been able to

make sure that some of those effects are positive.

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How to Help

There are many ways to make a difference atPerkins. Join others who are helping children and adults whoare blind, deafblind or have multiple disabilities reach theirgreatest possible independence. Here are some ideas:

• Make a gift of cash, stock, 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 yourself 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.

• Volunteer by giving a few hours a month — or more — and find out how much of a difference you can makein the life of another.

For more information on any of these opportunities, please call Jan Spitz at 617-972-7465 or visit www.perkins.org.

Photo credits: David Gordon, p. 13 (top); John Kennard, cover, 3(top 3) 4 - 7, 9 - 11, 15; Perkins Archives, 2, 3 (bottom), 13 (bottom),14, 16 - 19.

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Every year Perkins Outreach Services sends public school students who are blindor visually impaired to Space Camp in Alabama where one learns what it is liketo be an astronaut.

Perkins School for the Blind175 North Beacon StreetWatertown, MA 02472

www.perkins.org

Tel: 617.924.3434Fax: 617.972.7334

All we see is possibility.

Editor: Robert Guthrie

Non-ProfitOrganizationU.S. Postage

PAIDWorcester, MA

Permit No. 2

TheLantern

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

Departments of Education and Mental

Retardation and by the Commonwealth’s

Department of Early Education and Care.

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 school-

administered programs.

Change Service Requested

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PE R K I N S SC H O O L F O R T H E BL I N D