The editorial staff reserves the right to edit letters for content, style and space available. Opinions expressed are those of the authors, not those of the American Council of the Blind, its staff or elected officials. “The Braille Forum” is not responsible for the opinions expressed herein. We will not print letters unless you sign your name and give us your address.
Condolences from the United Kingdom
Dear American Council of the Blind:
At the recent Annual General Meeting of the Talking Newspaper Association of the United Kingdom (TNAUK), it was the unanimous wish of the Board of Trustees and all the delegates representing national and local talking newspapers that their deepest sympathies should be conveyed to you in the wake of the appalling events in New York and Washington.
Please know that our thoughts are with you in these troubled times and that you have the full support and good wishes of TNAUK.
Yours sincerely,
Tim McDonald
Chief Executive
Another vote for changing the name of the Forum
This is to voice a strong “second” for the name change of “The Braille Forum” as suggested by Steve Bauer in this column in August. Please go back and read the letter and notice the amount of logic which was included in that one minute of dialogue. Talk it over with friends who may have an interest in the proposal and consider supporting such a move.
— Lee Razak, Wichita, Kan.
Braille article very well written
Please pass along my warm congratulations to Cara Dunne-Yates for her outstandingly well written article in the August issue of the “Forum.” As a lifetime user of braille, I could relate very directly and personally to her story. One of the neatest things that I can remember happening to me was while working as an HR manager with Southwestern Bell Telephone I received a thank-you letter in braille from a sighted job applicant whom I hired. Also, whenever I discover a restaurant which has a braille menu, I make it a point to read it from cover to cover. It’s great fun to try to find and read the dessert listings before my sighted companions can.
I thoroughly enjoy reading the “Forum” each month and thank you and your small staff for the hard work and fine job you do.
— Larry Johnson, San Antonio, Texas
Letter to the Contributing Editor
Remember the article requesting help for blind children in Sierra Leone which was included in the April “Here and There” column? Many “Braille Forum” readers responded to that request for assistance. Below is a letter from Dave Brooks, who coordinates the assistance project via the Society for the Advancement of Culture & Welfare in Sierra Leone.
Dear Ms. Keith:
Your article generated much support for our project in Sierra Leone. I received about 20 packages from 16 “Braille Forum” readers from late April until a few weeks ago. Just about everything on the wish list was donated. The sea container left Dayton in September and should arrive in Freetown sometime this month. My 16-year-old daughter, Corey Ann, has helped facilitate this shipment and has written thank-you letters to all donors who gave return addresses. The next container will probably be sent next summer. We’re always collecting because it takes a lot to fill a 40-foot box. The next “container” may be a school bus which was donated and we’re going to make it into a mobile surgery clinic for our doctor contact in Freetown who looks after the School for the Blind. We are planning to develop a report so you and these kind folks will be able to see the fruits of your efforts.
Sierra Leone has settled down considerably. The war has stopped and people are beginning to recover. The School for the Blind has now about 85 students, including children who were blinded by bomb blasts and other horrible facets of the war. I know the goods we sent will make a difference to these dear children and their protectors. Once again, many thanks for your help.
Sincerely,
Dave & Corey Brooks
For readers who may wish to send items “Free Matter,” for these children, here is the original item about their circumstances: Help Sought for Blind Children in Sierra Leone
We have all heard the ghastly news stories about citizens in the West African nation of Sierra Leone being killed or mutilated by having their arms or legs amputated. These atrocities have been done to young children and even babies. A registered, non-profit organization based in Dayton, Ohio, The Society for the Advancement of Culture & Welfare in Sierra Leone (SACSL), is seeking assistance for the children at the Milton Margai School for the Blind in Freetown. The school is home for 80 children who are blind or visually impaired, and many are abandoned or orphaned. SACSL has built a security fence and installed a fire alarm around the school to provide a safe haven for these children. They helped the children establish a vegetable garden, and donated musical instruments for the school’s band. Through a contact at Ski For Light, the request for assistance was forwarded to ACB.
If you have items to donate, please send them to a volunteer for SACSL (address below). When enough items have been received to fill a sea container, it will be shipped to Sierra Leone. The following items were identified by the school’s headmaster as being most needed. Articles do not have to be new, but should be serviceable. They include: battery-operated tape recorders, Perkins Braillers, portable typewriters, musical instruments, braille books for ages 5-18 (the school has many Bibles but not much other reading materials), braille paper and other writing materials, tapes of kids’ songs (nursery rhymes and books), toothbrushes and paste, towels, sheets, pillowcases, tactile toys, and over-the-counter first aid items (Band-aids, antibiotic ointment, Tylenol, antiseptic wipes, eye and ear drops, bandages).
Send donated items “Free Matter” to: David Brooks, 6419 Noranda Drive, Dayton, OH 45415, phone (937) 890-3039, (evening hours please), or e-mail DBr9334567@aol.com.