BRAILLE WEEK CHALLENGE OF BLINDNESS MET WITH COURAGE, ABILITY

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31125, 30 July 1966, Page 14

BRAILLE WEEK CHALLENGE OF BLINDNESS MET WITH COURAGE, ABILITY

(Specially written for "The Press" by

ARTHUR LUSH)

“I regard blindness as a challenge.” The speaker, Mrs Sinclair, had been taught as a girl at the Jubilee Institute for the Blind in Auckland She married and brought up a family and is now herself a teacher of t blind. At school she had been a pupil of Ernest Chitty, who had beer the only blind pupil in the school I attended in Auckland. Ernest Chitty, like Mrs Sinclair, met the challenge of blindness with courage and ability.

It still seems a marvel to me that, without a white stick, he could tackle the complicated walk to the school in Upper Queen street. He would go from the Jubilee Institute in Manakau road, Parnell, to the Domain drive, a winding road open to traffic, but without footpaths, thence past the Auckland Hospital, across Grafton road to what we knew as the Cemetery Gully before the present traffic bridge was built, across busy Symonds street, and along Karangahape road to the turning which led to the school. This was a two-storey building on a hillside with most of the classrooms on the first floor, and access to them by bridges from the hill above. Wide Interests After matriculation, Ernest went to Auckland University College, where he gained an M.A. degree. He became a clergyman and later married. It was a loss to all that his life was comparatively short. I had come to know him very well. It did not take very long to realise his interests were as wide as those of most other boys. I used to take him to places such as any sighted boys would enjoy. From the top of Mount Wellington on a fine calm day the view could be sensed if not seen; far distant sounds could be heard, even a train on its way to Onehunga miles away. Once we climbed to the top of Rangitoto and on the way back turned off the track to look at a cave. Anyone who has been off the main track on Rangitoto will know what that was like. Outside the cave was a rock face about eight feet high with plenty of firm projecting knobs in the lava. I guided Ernest to it and up he went—no need to tell him where to find handholds or foot-holds. We got back to the main track just in time to see in the distance the white cloud of steam from the whistle of the steamer we were to have caught I had mistaken the sailing time. Fortunately some people there with their own launch gave us a lift back to town.

Ernest could play the piano and organ quite well and had a pleasant baritone voice. His vocal abilities were in fact more than I had supposed. We took him to my brother’s farm, and his imitation of a well-known sound brought an agitated cow galloping down to see what misfortune had befallen her calf. “Seeing” By Ear What stands out from these memories is the fact that the loss of sight need not bring narrowing of interest. Blind people can use hearing to

some extent to take the place of sight. Some visitors to the Institute for the Blind were shown into a room used for music practice. Ernest came in and shortly remarked “Those careless boys have left the violin on the piano.” So they had. Ernest had not touched the instrument, but he heard a violin string vibrate to some note in a voice. The Foundation for the Blind encourages and assists people to overcome their handicaps. Clutha Mackenzie, himself blinded in the 1914-18 war, devoted his life to the welfare of the blind. He spent years in trying to secure standardisation of Braille In place of the very many systems then in use. The sensitive touch required for Braille is not possible for those who have done much manual work before losing their sight. Even use of a Braille watch presents some difficulties. My friend Ernest however, when out for a walk, would just pause for a couple of seconds to open his watch and give the hands a quick gentle touch, and at once he knew the time correctly. “Give Me”

The name of Homai College has been given to the new

school for the blind established by the Foundation for the Blind near Auckland. Homai is the Maori word for •‘Give me.” Whether one is to imagine the college saying. "Give us the children and we will teach them to live fully.” or the pupils saying, “Give us the ability to live full and satisfying lives without sight,” I leave you to decide. Both are right The foundation provides many things, some of them aids to mobility ranging from simple white sticks to valuable guide dogs; but it does so much more than this that one cannot attempt here to summarise even the more important items of its good work. There is, however, one outstanding thing which cannot be bought but which the whole staff of the foundation supplies instinctively, as a matter of course, and in this they have the company of a good many voluntary workers. This important item is kindness. Those registered with the foundation will all tell you that it is the first thing they met when they went to register; and this unfailing kindness and friendliness of outlook, so generously given, adds much to the success of its work.