HELPING THE BLIND

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 13094, 16 February 1937, Page 4

HELPING THE BLIND

WORK OF INfeIUIOJE a i LAND ME ASH D 0 WNK TSNLI G HILN - ROTA IM.4NS HOW THE SIGHTLESS MAV REGAIN I HEIR ECONOMIC dependence

Some interesting sidelights on the work that is being done lor the bbnd in New (Zealand were shed at the Rotary Club yesterday by Mr George Aii’ed'owno, a representative of the New Zealand Institute for the Blind, who i--i visiting Poverty Bay with, the object of collecting funds for the institution. Mr Ashdowne is himself totally blind as a. result of a shooting ace i dpi it in England hut, with practically little assistance from his Braille notes, lie bad no difficulty in conveying to his, audience, a lot of useful information concerning the origin and growth, ol the movement To help the blind, with especial mention qf the good work which is being 'done for the afflicted in this Dominion. The Chair was occupied by Rotarian J. A- Mackay.

Air Ashdowne referred at thei outsit. of ibis- address to the unfortunate pliCrti lot tbo sightless prior to the 18th century. In earlier times, lie said, those who lost their sight were •regarded more, or less as a burden upon tho community and were leftvery much to themselves. Very many who lest their - sight in those days owed their misfortune to illness nr malnutrition. Not so -many were, however. To be found in that category to-day owing To the .aid which sc’cnce was able to- afford sufferers. As a matter, of fact, more than Go per cent, of tbo sightless nowadays were in that position on. account of accidents. The cause of many accidents to the eyes lay in accidents from explosives or in the use of tools. Many eases were recorded in history q i: sightless people who had risen to fame and a case in point was that of a man who although, blind from infancy had reached the posit’on of Postmaster-General in the British Ministry. There were also instances where blind men had made very extensive tours without an escort, fn one case, .although he could hardly crcd-t it himself, a- blind man was said to have taken the helm and saved a vessel in a storm. Continuing liis remarks. Mr Ashdown?! said that one of the initial efforts to help the blind was made by a Frenchman named St. Louis who established a home for the sightless. The main difficulty at first was that it was not understood that it was possible to- make blind ’people useful and give them back a sense of independence. Then it was that Huay. another Frenchman, established .an institution where the sightless could be trained. He was subsequently invited to- St. Petersburg to found the ■second institution of the Lind in Em ope. it was in 1791 that Edward Rushton. an Englishman, established an institution for the blind at ’Liverpeel -and two years later the Royal Asylum for the Blind was opened at I*3 nburgli. Just before the Great War, there were 24 schools and 40 workshops- in England .alone for the blind. The Great War added thousands to, the re 11 of the blind and it was now estimated that in Britain there were 40,000. No pension was, .as yet, given to the blind in the Homelands. It was not until after the Great War that schemes were developed under which the sightless might earn their own living. As was wcll-kn-jwn. Sir Arthur Pearson bad been instrumental in having many blinded soldiers from the Dominions trained at St. Dunstan’s. Ho had. indeed, proved “a. champion of champions” of the blind. All the Doin’nious owed a great- deal to Sir Arthur, in New Zealand, none-had done as much as Sir Clutlni Mackenzie to Ft Ip the afflicted and to '.secure aid from the public- in their interests. If the position of the- blind throughout the world prior to the 'Great War were- a state of “Paradise Lost” it might to-day be regarded as une of. “paradise Re-gaTicd."' , Mr Ashdowne- went on to describe file varied activities in connection with the institute for the Blind at Auckland. He- enumerated the different classes of manufactures that are tarried uu there. As regards education. the younger people had ample opportunities for advancement and might gw on right up to university work. Some had obtained their 8./l. degree and more than one had become an M.A. There was also one inmate who had gained his LL.B degree. The loss of sight did not mean kxss ol cconotir'e ability- If. was unhappily the case that . the women sightless presented the most difficulty. A blind man was better able to lend ior himself but a sightless woman usually lost, amongst other tilings, all ciianee, of molherhcod. Despite all the consideration that had been given to the subject, the problem of the sightless womenfolk

had still to be overcome. It might ba the case that the work o£ the blind was carried out more scientifically in, say , the United States than in New Zealand but bo was certain that in this Dominion the benefits qbtamed were more general. J lie Institute <ifc Auckland could only be cairied <on hv the generosity ol the public, seeing that it was not possible for the afflicted to secure a pension sufficient for them to hold an independent position in the community. VVJiat he would iu particular like liis- hearers to remember was that sightlessness did not mean tho end of an individual economically. He was sure that everyone would prefer to -see the si'ditless earning Their own living instead of as in older countries begging on the streets. No blind person in this 'Dominion was begging for a living except by choice or in ignorance of the purpose for- which the institute was founded. (Loud Applause) Ufa the motion of Rotarian C. H. Bull a very hearty vote of thanks was accorded Mr Ashdowne for his instructive address.