Quiz was a hit with the visually impaired!

The Blind Peoples Association experimented for the first time with a quiz for mentally challenged children as well as children with multiple disabilities on Friday. A wave of enthusiasm was seen among the 45 participants in the ages between 5 and 18 years.

There were nine teams each with five members. Questions were read out loud for those children who could hear and see. For those who could neither speak nor see, tactile stimulation was used. There were three rounds in all. The first round consisted of questions that were related to their curriculum, the second of general knowledge questions while the third on the monsoon season.

"Our main focus was to make these children realise they too, like any other normal child, can participate in a quiz and the response among them was amazing," says Vimal Thawani the organiser. "Making them participate in the quiz gives them a chance to feel important as well as focuses on how much the child knows," says Thawani.

The winners of the competition were Alay Patel, Mrunal Patel, Deep Trivedi and Hemang Mehta. Hemang says, "I had a lot of fun while taking part in the quiz, I found the questions very easy and I'm really glad my team won."

Junior Miss Garner 2009 fights for the rights of the visually impaired

Rachel Elizabeth Petherbridge, Junior Miss Garner 2009, attended an ice cream social Saturday, June 14 with the N.C. Association for Parents of Children with Visual Impairments.

Rachel Petherbridge. DONNA PETHERBRIDGE, CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

A lifelong resident of Garner, Rachel, 12, was diagnosed at an early age with ocular albinism, nystagmus and exotropia, a combination of visual impairments that are not completely correctable with glasses (though surgery has mostly resolved the exotropia).

A regular volunteer at the SPCA, a violinist, dancer and singer at the Garner Center Stage School of Performing Arts, Rachel hopes to inspire others with physical challenges to participate in regular activities to the fullest extent they possibly can.

Rachel met some amazing children at this event who enjoy the same things that all kids do: playing games, hanging out with their friends and even learning to play musical instruments. Many of these children now attend regular public schools thanks to early intervention, including the preschool program at the Governor Morehead School for the blind. Unfortunately, current state budget cuts include a proposal to close the Governor Morehead School, a very real concern for the visually impaired community.

“I hope they really think about the kids before they do this,” Rachel said of the proposal. “When a child is visually impaired, sometimes parents don’t know what to do and will need help.”

Rachel’s mother, Donna Petherbridge, agrees with her daughter, noting that parents of children with disabilities often struggle to understand what their child’s abilities and limitations are and how to best support them.

“We are fortunate that we’ve had excellent support from the schools and various organizations to assist Rachel - from vision, orientation and mobility specialists that have helped Rachel use low-vision aids in both schoolwork and in the community to organizations such as the N.C. Library for the Blind where we can obtain large print books,” Donna said.

“The partnerships [the Governor Morehead School] has made with the community result in an important awareness of the needs of visually impaired persons and training and outreach for the teachers that have worked with students such as Rachel.”

Budget cut discussions aside, Rachel simply hopes when people come across children with disabilities, they will focus on what these children can do, rather than on what they can’t.

“If you just look with your eyes, you might think that someone can’t do something because you can see they have a disability,” Rachel said. “But you can’t always depend on your eyes. I would know. You have to see with your heart.”

Submitted by Donna Petherbridge

Club VIBES teach special skills to the visually impaired

Photo by Briana ScrogginsNews Sentinel

Sue Buckley, second from right, teaches kitchen skills to visually impaired students, from left, Sarah Holloway, Erin Moore and Nicole Anderson at Buckley’s West Knoxville home. Buckley is helping the young women become more independent through an organization called Club VIBES, a mentoring program.

Sue Buckley, second from right, teaches kitchen skills to visually impaired students, from left, Sarah Holloway, Erin Moore and Nicole Anderson at Buckley’s West Knoxville home. Buckley is helping the young women become more independent through an organization called Club VIBES, a mentoring program.

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The lesson plans at Club VIBES include how-to's on flirting, cooking, socializing and even reading mail, all of which pose a unique challenge for the club's members.

Club VIBES, which stands for Visually Impaired and Blind Enhanced Services, is a mentoring program in Knoxville designed to help blind or visually impaired teens transition from high school to the work force or college.

Knoxville couple John and Sue Buckley spearheaded the program with the help of area vision teachers and some of the blind youth in the community.

Both John and Sue are blind themselves.

"John's been visually impaired his whole life," Sue Buckley said.

John Buckley was born with glaucoma and cataracts. By age 17, his vision was almost completely gone.

Sue Buckley's vision didn't completely disappear until she was 33.

The couple have learned to live life without sight. The pair can't drive, but they do just about everything else. They cook, clean, shop, manage a household and work. Sue Buckley even competes in triathlons. She placed third and second in her age division in her first two triathlons and was the only blind person to compete.

The Buckleys will pass the life skills they've learned over the years to the new members of Club VIBES. The group already has 15 members, more than John and Sue expected. The young men and women, most of whom are between ages 21 and 24, meet once a month.

During the meetings, the Buckleys said, they address members' concerns about finding employment, arranging transportation and living independently.

The Buckleys want to pick up where the school systems left off.

"The schools just don't have the time to keep up with all of the skills a blind or visually impaired person needs to know," Sue Buckley said.

On a recent afternoon, Nicole Anderson, Sarah Holloway and Erin Moore, all members of Club VIBES, met at the Buckley residence to cook.

The three girls sat around the table as Sue Buckley retrieved a large knife - just what she needed to show the girls how to cut a watermelon. One by one, the girls stepped up to the counter and placed their hands over Sue's to feel how Sue positioned the knife and guided it through the fruit.

"Teachable moments" - that's what Sue Buckley calls them.

The girls said they like to learn these various life skills, but they also value Club VIBES for another reason.

"I am just excited to be able to get together with other visually impaired people," Anderson said.

The group has loftier goals, though. The club's members will pass what they learn to younger children who are in a similar situation.

"Right now, the group has to learn to gel, but eventually we want them to do outreach in the schools," Sue Buckley said.

Lindsey Ziliak can be reached at 865-342-6336.

Autism Family Night welcomes special needs guests, including the visually impaired, at Long Beach Aquarium

Looking for a peaceful and relaxing night for your family? The Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific is hostlng a special Autism Families Night on Tuesday, June 23, 2009. This event is only open to those with autism, either adults or children. Admission is $11.95. Members and children under three are, as always, free.

Families can enter the Aquairum after 5:00 p.m. and enjoy all attractions (except Lorikeet Forest, their bird exhibit) until 9:00 p.m. The Aquarium is one of the largest of its kind in the United States. It contains more than 500 species with 19 major habitats and 32 focus exhibits showcasing three regions of the Pacific Ocean: Southern California/Baja, Tropical Pacific and Northern Pacific.

The Aquarium is celebrating their 10 year anniversary this year, and offers several touch pools, where guests can get up close and personal with rays, sea cucumbers and starfish. There are also stations located throughout the Aquarium where children can stamp their visitor's guides and learn more about the inhabitants and take home a record of their visit.

The Aquarium of the Pacific accomodates all abilities. Service dogs are welcome, wheelchairs are available as well as audio programs for visually impaired visitors. Show scripts are available for the hearing impaired. Visit the Information Desk for more information.

Memberships are available, so consider joining this non-profit attraction if you enjoy your visit. A membership is a great way to be able to return at your convenience and avoid crowds. it also lessens the pressure to see everything, since you can come back anytime you like.

Autism Family Night requires an advance reservation, so make sure you call before Friday, June 19th to guarantee your spot.

(562) 590-3100

Aquarium of the Pacific
100 Aquarium Way
Long Beach, CA 90802

For more information:

Aquarium of the Pacific

photo of sea dragon, copyright voxluna, used under cc

Service helps visually impaired priest to complete his duties

Father John Groner’s service dog, Lilly, accompanies him everywhere.

His life depends on it, and so does his ministry.

“She has given me a way to remain an active parish priest, and that has meant everything to me,” said Father Groner, pastor of St. Robert Bellarmine in St. Robert and St. Jude in Richland.

The priest has Type I diabetes, which occasionally causes his blood-sugar level to fall to a dangerous level. Without treatment, that could lead to seizures and other health emergencies.

The human body gives off a slightly different smell when a person’s blood sugar is low. People don’t notice the change. But Lilly, trained since birth to be Father Groner’s service dog, knows the difference immediately.

The yellow Labrador-Brittany mix also is tuned in to changes in Father Groner’s behavior that might suggest low blood sugar.

She licks his face to tell him he needs to take a sugar pill so his brain gets the glucose it needs to function properly. Otherwise, he could black out.

“They would probably find me dead in a ditch with my car wrapped around me,” he told The Catholic Missourian, Jefferson City’s diocesan newspaper. “That’s the difference Lilly makes.”

The priest did black out on several occasions before he got Lilly and his housekeeper had to come to his rescue. “It was getting to where I could no longer function in active ministry,” the priest said, but he didn’t want to give up the priesthood or his role as pastor.

Michele Reinkemeyer, founder and executive director of Heaven Scent Paws in St. Elizabeth, helped Father Groner train Lilly, using a program she and her husband had developed to help their own children.

Their training techniques turned out to be an answer to Father Groner’s prayers, too.

The priest introduced the dog to his parishioners when she was just a puppy.

“I said, ‘She is not trained yet, but I want you all to meet my service dog,’” he said. “So I walked up the aisle, and she just followed me all the way up to the altar. I put her in my palm and held her up and showed her to everybody.

“That was her first time in church, and she’s been in church with me ever since then,” he said.

Under federal and state law, Father Groner may bring his service dog with him to any public setting.

He said children like to watch her at Mass because he thinks they feel a closeness to her.

Similarly, some of the men on a recent Residents Encounter Christ weekend at the Algoa Correctional Center in Jefferson City were drawn to Father Groner’s preaching and counseling after first being drawn to Lilly.

“I do think she helped them feel more comfortable around me,” he said. “Besides, some of these guys haven’t seen a dog up close in many, many years. And dogs are very loving. They accept you unconditionally. That’s one of their great qualities.”

Lilly is now as familiar a sight in St. Robert Bellarmine and St. Jude churches as the cantors and sacristans. At the chrism Mass each year, she joins Father Groner and all the other concelebrating priests in the sanctuary of the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Jefferson City.

She’s used to the crowds and commotion and knows how to keep a low profile.

“She’s grown up around the church,” said Father Groner. “She has no trouble with sitting off to the side until Mass is over. People are used to seeing her. They know she’s going to be on the sanctuary and doesn’t mess anything up. She’s very well-behaved and doesn’t cause any problems.

“She’s a good girl,” he added. “I thank God that I have her.”

More information about Heaven Scent Paws can be found on the Internet at www.heavenscentpaws.com.

Korea: Visually impaired mothers a cooking up a storm!

Kim Sun-mi, 33, the mother of two children, learns baking once a week at the Korean Red Cross' Nowon branch in northern Seoul. "Children like my bread more than that of a bakery. It's more delicious because I make it with good materials and my whole heart," she said.

Kim may be one among a growing number of Korean mothers who became interested in home cooking after some food safety-related scandals, such as the latest Chinese melamine-containing snacks, happened here in recent months.

But Kim and other women who attended the baking class on last Thursday were special -- they are visually impaired.

The blind mothers have participated in a three-month baking program from early April that is sponsored by the Ministry of Gender Equality and the Korea Blind Union which support similar programs for people with disabilities.

"For the last three years, our programs have gained great response from blind mothers," said Hong Eun-yeo, a social worker at the union for the blind.

"We conducted a survey in preparation for this year's programs and a lot of responding women showed their great interests in the current well-being trend. So, we launched a baking class helping them make both delicious and nutritious snacks for their children."

It may seem unthinkable for people to cook without being able to see. But most of the blind mothers cook for themselves, sometimes helped by family members or volunteers.

"Except for some complicated cooking skills such as frying with a lot of oil, blind mothers can cook after being trained briefly and becoming accustomed to it," said Hong, who is also visually impaired.

The scene at the baking class was not very different from those of other cooking classes. Most mothers, excluding some with severe visual disability, participated in every process in the class, including preparing the necessary materials, kneading dough, decorating the surface of the bread and arranging tools.

The only difference was the presence of the volunteers. They helped the mothers by letting them touch the materials and sometimes intervening in the most difficult tasks. They also took care of some dangerous things, such as the knives and push sticks for the safety of attending mothers.

Lee Hye-sung has been working as a volunteer worker at the charity for more than 11 years. "Blind mothers may feel some difficulties, but it's nothing difficult for me to help them. I am thankful for the job as I can help others while learning the new field of baking," she said.

For most of the mothers, attending the class is more than learning something new.

For Koh So-hyun, the more than one-hour way from Gwanak-gu where she lives to the charity center is not a big deal to catch the rare opportunity. Even though it was raining, all the registered members, except one, attended the class in the day.

"Actually I don't like cooking," she said with smile. "But this is a rare opportunity for us to learn something, so I'm enjoying the class. My fussy husband also likes bread that I make."

Cho Eun-hee, 40, said she was "a little nervous" when she tried to cook something complicated.

"But now I feel confidence," she said. "My child waits for me to cook and that encourages me a lot."

According to the government's survey of the disabled last year, there were some 220,000 visually impaired people accounting for 10 percent of the total 1.7 million people with disabilities.

In the survey, they pointed out cultural and leisure opportunities are most needed in their daily life along with job training programs and medical supports.

The organizers of the program also offer them chances to help others as they donate their bread to shelters for single mothers once a month.

"We, the visually disable, hardly have a social life," said Kim. "But through this opportunity I can spend my spare time more meaningfully and feel a great achievement."

(jylee@heraldm.com)

By Lee Ji-yoon

Talking computers to help visually impaired students

Delhi University (DU) has installed talking computers to assist the visually impaired students taking admission for the 2009 session. Seema M Parihar, Deputy Dean Students' Welfare, said that talking computers were introduced in the admission process this year, after it was realized, during last year's admissions, that many visually-impaired candidates were unable to read Braille.

DU reserves 3% seats in all its affiliated colleges for the differently abled. Last year, the university introduced Braille form for the visually impaired students. Now, with the added facility of talking computers, DU aims to make the entire admission procedure more convenient for the visually impaired. Moreover, they would be guided by counselor in filling up the forms. As per the records, thirty three visually impaired students have already registered themselves for admission to DU this year.

Teenage crook who took advantage of a visually impaired clerk got caught!

The voice and the Doritos gave him away.

At the same time, they helped lift the spirits of a visually impaired snack-bar operator targeted four times in one day with customers paying with counterfeit $100 bills.

It happened this week, in of all places, the Summit County Courthouse.

Laura Kolb, 34, whose vision has been diminished since birth, has operated the downtown Akron courthouse snack bar for less than two months.

She has battled sight issues, cancer, an arsonist for a neighbor and bankruptcy in her 34 years.

And when her husband, David, called from the bank Tuesday, she was ready to chuck her new business and head into solitude.

During the course of business Monday — selling the daily lunch specials, coffee, soda and chips — Kolb was paid four times with fake $100 bills.

To her, it was like being kicked in the stomach and pocketbook at the same time.

''This isn't some big money-making place. That $400 is a big part of the week's profits,'' she said from the snack-bar register Thursday.

''So, I was just flipping out when my husband called me. My God, I was depressed. I just stood here crying, thinking of all the bad luck I've had in my life.''

Kolb, a mother of four, said she thought about giving up the business opportunity from the Society of the Blind, which staffs courthouse snack bars throughout Ohio.

Then she changed her mind and decided to play detective using one of her greatest senses: her ears.

She remembered the voice of one of the $100 customers; a soft-spoken, younger man who ordered only a bag of Doritos.

She told snack bar worker Bruce Golomboski on Wednesday that she would signal him if the customer was brazen enough to return.

Sure enough, he did.

And her plan worked.

''I got a bag of Doritos, and here's a $100 bill,'' the voice said.

Kolb yelled to Golomboski, who is also visually impaired. That customer's voice was stuck in her head.

''Hey, Bruce, can you get me some 20s from the safe?'' she asked.

There is no safe behind the counter. The phrase was her cue for Golomboski to call the cops.

''When I reached for the bill, I was having a hard time keeping my hand from shaking; I was so nervous and excited,'' Kolb said. ''I really wanted to catch him because whoever it was kept coming back again and again, probably because I'm visually impaired. They must have thought I was stupid or something.''

As the customer sensed trouble, he began to walk away, leaving his $100 bill in Kolb's hand. Law enforcement, naturally, wasn't far behind in a courthouse.

The 16-year-old boy was detained by an Akron police officer near the snack bar and passed over to a sheriff's deputy, who was also nearby.

''I would imagine some people think the blind make easy targets,'' said sheriff's Lt. Kandy Fatheree, who supervises courthouse security. ''But in this case, [Kolb] may have lost one sense, but with the other senses she has, she was able to pick him out right away.''

David Lee, resident agent in charge of the U.S. Secret Service Office in Akron, said counterfeiting is a constant battle for law enforcement, only made tougher by modern technology.

He said the counterfeit-detecting pen, like the one that failed Kolb four times Monday, is not endorsed by the federal government and is not 100 percent reliable.

The bogus bills handed to Kolb were $5 and $10 bills manipulated to look and feel like a $100 bill. Business owners and consumers, if possible, must look closely at large bills being passed, he said.

''[Counterfeit bills are] out there because technology has made it relatively easy to do,'' Lee said. ''Fortunately, most of the citizens, the business people in this community, the people that deal with currency, the financial institutions, do a good job of a picking the currency out when it's attempting to be passed.''

Kolb said she hopes her actions will help other businesses be aware. She also said she has a new policy at the snack bar: no bills larger than $20.

In the meantime, authorities are searching for other suspects from Monday and to determine if the teen is part of a larger group of adult counterfeiters circulating bills to area businesses.

''I feel good about this child being caught,'' Kolb said. ''But I'm also sad because he is so young and he's being used by somebody older. He just doesn't have positive goals.''

---

Phil Trexler can be reached at 330-996-3717 or ptrexler@thebeaconjournal.com.

L'Oréal behind grooming classes for the visually impaired

Academy-award winning actress, Sophia Lauren once said that nothing makes a woman more beautiful than the belief that she is beautiful.

Helping to firm up this belief among the most vulnerable and forgotten local communities across the globe is L’Oréal, as it marks its 100th anniversary as an occasion that is geared towards making the world a more beautiful place.

So 100 charity projects in 100 countries were launched in a declaration of L’Oréal’s commitment to solidarity.

At home, L’Oréal Singapore partnered Lighthouse School and the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped (SAVH) on Thursday to launch the Touching Colours project.

The project aims to impart independent life skills in the area of personal grooming to visually impaired individuals through customised skin care, make-up, hair care and hair styling workshops.

As teaching the visually handicapped requires specific skills, L’Oréal experts have trained the Special Education Teachers of the Lighthouse School who will impart the grooming skills to the participants of the Touching Colours project.

The modular workshop programme for students from Lighthouse School and adult clients of SAVH will focus on skincare, make-up and hairstyling.

Under the skincare module, students will be taught about understanding skin and different skin types, the importance of personal hygiene and grooming, and how to address various common skin problems.

For the make-up module, they will learn more about the bone structure, colour symbolism, how to use make-up to enhance features, make-up techniques and tips for the visually impaired.

And for the last module on haircare and styling, they will learn to understand different scalp and hair types and how to care for them, exploring different styles that suit different face shapes, how to choose from a wide range of styling products and how to create the desired effect.

Principal of Lighthouse School, Mr. Koh Poh Kwang, said: “Even though my students are visually handicapped, they too want to look good and feel good, and to be accepted. I believe that knowing how to take care of their appearances can only help them to boost their self-confidence. In addition, I believe that they will enjoy these workshops and benefit from them.”

The workshop kits, sponsored by L’Oréal Singapore will be made accessible to the participants in Braille.

S$40,000 which was raised through the efforts of L’Oréal employees in various internal activities will be used to kick-start the Touching Colours project.

New Delhi recently introduced read-aloud software for the visually impaired

The Equal Opportunity Cell of Delhi University registered 13 physically challenged (PH) students on Monday. For the first time, the forms were read out to visually impaired students through JAWS software. Deputy Dean of Students Welfare Seema Parihar said the forms had to be filled up manually. She added that the number of seats for PH students had been increased to more than 1,500 this year, but like past years, there might not be enough students to fill all up. Handbooks for PH students have also been introduced this year.

Japan: Visually impaired man voted member of assembly!

A visually impaired independent won election as a municipal assembly member here on Sunday. Shoichi Ochino, 61, will apparently be the first visually challenged candidate to become a representative of a local authority in Hokkaido, according to the Hokkaido federation of the blind.

Ochino, a manager of an acupuncture and massage clinic, was born in Chitose and lost his eyesight at the age of 9. He started his own clinic in 1973, and gained qualification as a care manager in 1998, becoming the first person in Hokkaido to pass the test in Braille. Ochino decided to file his candidacy based on the belief that "there must be particular needs only known by the visually impaired."

A total of 29 candidates ran in the city assembly election. Ochino also staged a street campaign, giving speeches as he was driven around in a campaign car. Based on his experience as a health care manager, Ochino won public support after pledging to enhance the city's assistance to patients with dementia and seniors living alone.

"The applause and cheers I received from supporters encouraged me. I want to take initiatives to solve the problems seniors and the disabled are facing," Ochino enthusiastically said.

Crossing difficult for visually impaired pedestrians

THE PROBLEM: Few pedestrian signals allow people crossing a street to dawdle. The symbol of a walking person illuminates for just seconds before the orange, upraised hand flashes, warning others not to leave the curb.

At an intersection in Spring Valley, Elsie Luranc knows two people who have trouble moving quickly enough.

One is a woman who uses a wheelchair, and the other is a blind man. They both traverse the T intersection at Broadway, Spring Street and Campo Road almost daily, but Luranc said the timing of the signal keeps them apprehensive. With five lanes of traffic to cross, a longer interval would make the busy street feel safer, she said.

Luranc wasn't sure whom to ask about the possibility of adjusting the signal.

STATUS: Just Fix It checked and found the walk signal goes for about six seconds before flashing orange. The flashing-orange cycle lasted about 20 seconds more. Pedestrians had just a few more seconds before lights turned green in the opposite direction, allowing cross-traffic through, so total crossing time was 30 or 31 seconds.

Michael Robinson, deputy director of the county transportation division, said timing of the Spring Street signal is controlled by Caltrans because of its proximity to ramps serving state Routes 94 and 125. Signals typically give pedestrians about one second per four feet, Robinson said, and the timing at Spring sounded about right to him.

Robinson noted a delay of even a few seconds could cause backups for vehicles using the two freeways, but he has put Luranc in touch with a traffic signal program coordinator who will investigate the matter further, possibly installing a chirping signal to guide visually impaired pedestrians.

WHO'S RESPONSIBLE: Michael Robinson, who can be reached at michael.robinson@sdcounty.ca.gov , or (858) 874-4040 for public road issues in unincorporated portions of San Diego County.

NEED A PROBLEM SOLVED: Is there a problem that government hasn't taken care of despite your complaints? Whether it's a sidewalk obstruction or vast pothole anywhere in San Diego County, Just Fix It might be able to help.

Complaint forms are at justfixit.uniontrib.com, or call (800) 820-8714.

Jeff Ristine: (800) 820-8714;

Event set up for the visually impaired

The fifth annual Woof to Woof is fast approaching and organizers are seeking more vendors, as well as Lassie look-alikes, for the June 6 event.

"We will have John Provost, the actor, director and author who most people know as Timmy' for the show Lassie," said Nels Westman, event organizer. "He will judge the Lassie look-alike contest."

Admission, parking and entry into various dog-centric events, such as the Lassie look-alike contest, are free. The event aims to raise money for the Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Santa Cruz, Westman said.

There also will be demonstrations by the Canine Companions for Independence, Guide Dogs for the Blind, Dogs4Diabetes and more, said Westman. The assistant dog shows are new to the five-year-old event.

"Money for the center will be raised from revenues from the retail sales and vendor space rentals, as well as a raffle, silent auction, food concessions and corporate sponsors," Westman said. "We'll also have donation boxes all around for people to drop money in."

So far, the event has about 40 dog-specific vendors, including groomers, the SPCA, and others who seek to show off their services and wares, Westman said.

Located on Laurel Street, Vista Center plans to use the funds to serve the more than 1,900 clients that seek assistance annually.

"Most of our services are done on sliding scale fee because Medicare and Medi-Cal don't pay for exams and optical aids," said Briya Serrano, program assistant.

For 22 years, the center has been providing clients with vision exams and the skills they need to function at home and in public, Serrano said.

"We help people sort out their laundry, how to set up a kitchen so they can cook their meals and how to use canes because there's a different method for indoors and outdoors," she added.

Sounds give vision to visually impaired artist

Ashley Spurgeon is one of several blind participants who collaborated with Rich Curtis on an award-winning painting.

The work, "Sight Unseen," brought together blind residents across the state who, under Curtis' direction, painted white canvases with thick black paint that becomes raised when dry.

The neophyte artists produced their work in response to five pieces of music that ranged from Blue Man percussion to upright bass solos to Tuvan throat singing.

The resultant work of 20 canvases was meant to be not only seen, but felt by the blind and sighted.

For the work, Curtis won the Helen Keller International Prize, named after the deaf and blind Tuscumbia woman who was born in 1880 and became a world-recognized advocate for the rights of people with disabilities.

The competition, held in Glasgow, Scotland, attracted 200 artists worldwide. In abstentia, Curtis accepted the award along with a $2,224.17 prize and trophy.

The entire collection, including more than 50 drawings, will be on exhibit at the Tennessee Valley Museum of Art in Florence on June 22-28 during the Helen Keller Festival.

Four judges unanimously chose Curtis' work.

"It was vibrant and interesting, worked on different levels for sighted and non-sighted audiences and had an oomph about it we all loved," stated Pauline McLean, a competition judge. "With a lovely twist, the winner turned out to be from Helen Keller's home town."

Helen Keller, with her teacher and companion Anne Sullivan, visited Scotland in 1933 as part of a worldwide awareness tour. The visit helped to plant the seed for Sense Scotland, an advocacy and charitable organization started by parents of deaf/blind children. The group sponsored the competition.

During Keller's Glasgow visit, she established a trust fund for other deaf/blind people, a trust taken over by Sense Scotland in 1989 that transformed into an international essay competition, then a biennial art competition open to professional and amateur artists.

The project started about a year ago when Curtis contacted the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind. His original idea was to shadow someone visually impaired to navigate through their day.

"That would be interesting," Spurgeon said.

Because of feasibility problems, Curtis changed the project into how sound plays a role in how we navigate the world and the body's response to sound.

"I wanted to know what part vision played in the interpretation of sound," Curtis said.

Spurgeon was born four months prematurely and developed retinopathy of prematurity because incubator oxygen damaged her retinas.

Her parents have told her there are baby pictures of her focusing on objects.

"I don't remember seeing, which is probably better for me -- I'd rather not know what I'm missing out on," she said with her guide dog, Ireland, at her side.

Most of the blind artists who collaborated with Curtis were found with the assistance of Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind sites, including Talladega, Mobile, Huntsville and Birmingham.

Curtis found Spurgeon through the University of North Alabama's development services office.

Spurgeon moved from Washington state with her husband in 2007 and is a junior at UNA studying elementary education.

As she sat on the veranda in front of the UNA student center, a drum circle's steady rhythm acted as a sonic backdrop.

When asked about her participation in the art, Spurgeon said, "I don't know if it means anything -- it was fun."

She mainly thought about "how weird the music was most of the time."

She uses echolocation -- sounds as a way to orient herself, such as the distant sound of water from UNA's main fountain.

"If I walk by a tree, I hear the tree," she said. "If there's too much sound, I get really disoriented."

The intersection of visual art and blindness isn't unprecedented. Spurgeon recalled tactile picture books for the blind when she grew up. The books had raised line drawings and thick plastic shapes.

During a visit to London, Spurgeon got to touch the wax sculptures at Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. Sighted visitors are not allowed to touch the figures.

In the future, Curtis said he hopes to find participants on a national scale.

Plus, "I would like to revisit many of the participants to see if they got anything out of it," Curtis said.

Touch phone in the future to help the visually impaired

Scientists from the University of Tampere, Finland in collaboration with the Stanford University US, have managed to develop a new technology that will bring touchscreen phones to the realm of visually impaired users.

While blind users were bereft of using the cellphone like other folks do, the new technology will create an opportunity for them to actually interact with the mobile phone instead just limiting them to receiving and making calls. The researchers used a Nokia 770 Internet Tablet, which has a piezoelectric material built into the touch screen that vibrates when an electric signal is applied to it.

The researchers tried to represent Braille dots on the device and adopted two methods to do so. For starters, Braille uses a two by three-matrix format to display characters that are identified by different configurations of raised and absent dots at the six points of the matrix. Finally, after integrating the Braille language in the device, volunteers were asked to read things on the phone screen. Although they started off slowly, they were able to speed up gradually and were able to read a character in about 1.25 seconds.

As of now, efforts are being made to present entire words and not just single characters onscreen.

Visually impaired children experience parasailing!

“We experienced the freedom of birds flying in the sky.” It was how Nagesh Netke and Sushama Pawar, two visually-impaired children from the Poona School and Home for the Blind, Kothrud, described their experience after attempting to set a Limca world record — as the first pair of blind children to parasail at a height of 100 feet at Bavdhan Hill here on Thursday.

Nagesh Netke was the first to take to the air. “It was a thrilling experience. I was apprehensive initially but once I took off, the feeling was magical. I felt like a bird. I am on the ground everyday. It felt nice to be high in the air for a change,” the 19-year-old said. Netke hails from Ahmednagar and lived with his parents in Mumbai before shifting to the Poona School and Home for the Blind in 1997. A district champion in chess, he has a keen interest in politics and aims at becoming a lawyer.

Next, it was Sushama Pawar’s turn. Even after three days of theoretical preparation, she was anxious. “I was very scared before the flight and did not know what to expect. But once my feet were off the ground, I experienced the freedom of a bird,” she said. Pawar is from Baramati and has been with the institute for the past 10 years. She is also interested in other sporting events — running, swimming and throwball. Dancing is her another passion.

Anand Munje, head of the parasailing school at Bavdhan, spoke about the difficulty he faced in explaining the details of the sport to the children. “We had to give a detailed explanation of the entire process, right from the parachute to the harness. Taking off was not a problem... but landing was a major concern as they will have no guide with them and will have to do it on their own. But after three days of training, we knew these children were ready to attempt this feat. We are glad it went off successfully,” said Munje.

The principal of the girls’ section, Sulabha Pujari, feels this will motivate other wards from her school to be more active. “These kids learn more when they experience things rather than hearing about it. This will motivate other children to take part in such activities. They will be determined to look past their disabilities and achieve the impossible.”

Incidentally, Pune is home to two national record holders in parasailing. In February last year, Kedar Munje set a record for using the longest towing rope (565 feet) for a parasail. In May 2008, N K Mahajan, then 88, became the oldest parasailor to take flight.