NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
Jesse's Angels Rallies for 3rd Consecutive Year
Since 2007 Carol Sheehan, owner of the Red Arrow Diner in Manchester has formed a team for The New Hampshire Association for the Blind’s Annual Walk-A-Thon. Back in 2007 the walk was dedicated to the memory of Jesse Isabelle, Carol’s son and NH Association for the Blind client. This year, Jesse’s Angels topped the list with more than 90 individual walkers from all over New England joining the team; raising over $2,500 to support the services provided by The NH Association for the Blind for all NH residents living with visual impairments or blindness.
Art Exibit was Accessible and Beyond Successful
Seventy art objects, most either 2 or 3 dimensional designed by NH and surrounding states’ artists were at the April showing of Art Beyond Sight © at the Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery in Portsmouth. This was a joint effort of the NH Art Association and the NH Association for the Blind. Volunteer co-chairs, Judy Brenner and Valerie Sobel ‘orchestrated’ a most significant touching and viewing gallery, and in the opinion of many, the best exhibit done at the Levy. The aim was to create “a show that was accessible for everyone. . . “ A few guest artists who are blind or have low vision also displayed. Docents were trained to use metaphors and analogies as they guided those blind or with low vision through the gallery, but all could touch! Groups came from retirement communities, schools, the general public and youngsters who are blind and visually impaired experienced accessible art.
The following is a comment from a person attended the exhibit and has low vision:
I visited the Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery on Thursday April 16. I had the opportunity to view and experience through touch the wonderful display of NH Art. This was by far the most comprehensive art show of its kind that I have experienced. I felt that I had equal access to the art work and left excited by the experience. Thank you for this exceptional effort and being sensitive to the needs of the visually impaired.
“Color Wheel”
Red are the roses sweet smelling scent
Or the taste of a strawberry so succulent
Blue is the bewilderment of the vast soundless sky
Or the yearn for attention from a baby’s cry
Yellow is the beaming warmth from the brilliance of the sun
Or the long awaited welcome felt from the yellow ribbon
Green are the emerald jewels of joy emoted from the eyes
Or the holiday memories shared as the Christmas tree sadly dies
Black is the reminder of the colors missing from the wheel
Black is now the reminder of the colors I can feel. . .
Poem by Stephanie Hurd, Volunteer Coordinator at the NH Association for the Blind who is blind.
U.S. Senators John Kerry and Arlen Specter Introduce Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act National Federation of the Blind Applauds Measure to Protect Lives and Preserve Independence of Blind Americans
Washington, DC (April 22, 2009): Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Arlen Specter (R-PA) introduced a bill, S. 841, intended to protect the blind and other pedestrians from injury or death as a result of silent vehicle technology. The Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2009 requires the Secretary of Transportation to conduct a study on how to protect the blind and others from being injured or killed by vehicles using hybrid, electric, and other silent engine technologies.
Because blind pedestrians cannot locate and evaluate traffic using their vision, they must listen to traffic to discern its speed, direction, and other attributes in order to travel safely and independently. Other people, including pedestrians who are not blind, bicyclists, runners, and small children, also benefit from hearing the sound of vehicle engines. New vehicles that employ hybrid or electric engine technology can be silent, rendering them extremely dangerous in situations where vehicles and pedestrians come into proximity with each other.
“The National Federation of the Blind appreciates the wise and decisive action taken today by Senators Kerry and Specter to preserve the right to safe and independent travel for the blind,” said Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind. “The blind, like all pedestrians, must be able to travel to work, to school, to church, and to other places in our communities without being injured or killed.
This bill will benefit all pedestrians for generations to come as new vehicle technologies become more prevalent. The blind of America will
do everything in our power to ensure its swift passage.”
“I’m a major proponent of hybrid vehicles––I own one, I drive one, and I’ve seen firsthand their environmental and economic benefits,” said Senator Kerry. “The market is demanding new technologies in the auto industry, and Americans are demanding we finally kick our foreign oil addiction. As we continue to promote our energy independence, however, we must do more to ensure the safety of those who use senses other than sight to navigate the roads. I look forward to working with Secretary LaHood to ensure that hybrid vehicles are safe for everyone.”
“Blind people have the same right to safe travel as all other pedestrians,” said Senator Specter. “I look forward to working with my colleagues on this important legislation to ensure that the blind and other pedestrians can continue to travel safely and independently.”
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