Louis Braille School

Animals, the Environment, and YOU!

An Extended School Year Program for Children with Special Needs

Presented by the Louis Braille School

July 12-July 23, Monday through Friday, 10 am to 2 pm

• For students entering kindergarten through grade 12

• For those who have special needs arising from vision impairment or other challenges

• Taught by a TVI (Teacher of the Visually Impaired) with an M.S. in Special Education

• Qualifies as an Extended School Year program

Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic
Students will receive small group and individualized instruction in specific core curriculum areas in which the child needs special help. Focus is on reading, writing and arithmetic, with a touch of social studies and science, all within an environmental theme, and drawing from the Washington State K-12 Environmental and Sustainability Learning Standards.

Skills of Everyday Living
Integrated throughout the day is instruction in everyday living skills that promote self-esteem and independence. Instruction is individualized and may include basic skills such as tying shoes and zipping a jacket, social skills, technology pointers, and other skills as needed.

Dogs and Cats as Pets

Wild Birds and Animals in Their Habitats

Through a collaboration with PAWS (Progressive Animal Welfare Society), the 2010 program is built around an environmental theme. PAWS will present two, one-hour hands-on workshops each week.

Week 1. Furry Friends
Appreciating dogs and cats as companions and friends. Learn how animals talk and other fun facts. Learn how to care for a pet. Learn about service dogs and meet a guide dog. Make toys for cats that are in the PAWS shelter.

Week 2. Wonderful Wildlife
Understanding wild animals and birds through sound, taste, and scent. Learn where wild animals live and how they get their food. Learn how PAWS cares for injured and orphaned wild animals. Make items that will help wild animals at the PAWS shelter re-learn how to find their own food.

Guide Dogs for the Blind Puppies-in-Training
A tradition on the first day of the summer program is a visit from puppies learning to be guide dogs. Their trainers guide the children in patting and playing with the pups, walking them on a double lead, and giving them simple commands.

Location of Summer School
Louis Braille School
10130 Edmonds Way
Edmonds, WA 98020

Tuition: $250. Assistance is available.
Children bring a sack lunch.

For questions or to register your child call 425-776-4042
Email: carolyn@louisbrailleschool.org
Website: www.louisbrailleschool.org

What People Say About Our Summer Program
“This is a safe place with caring people.” —Summer Program student
“You guys do it right. Here everything is for everyone.” —Summer Program student
“I want to stay all night at Braille Camp.” —Summer Program student
“My son counts the days between one summer program and next.” —Parent

Several years ago, before the Louis Braille Center became the Louis Braille School, volunteer Zora Rockney made for us a tactile United States flag. Each color was represented by a fabric of a different texture, and the embroidered stars could be counted with the fingers.

Sylvie Kashdan (right) and Robby Barnes, long-time friends of the Center and the School, learned about our special flag and determined we should have flags of other countries as well.

They contacted Ann Gardiner, a well-known specialist in creating tactile flags. Unknown to us, Ann, who lives in England, has been hard at work creating more flags for our school.

Sylvie and Robby recently visited the Louis Braille School and presented an array of flags to our students. All of the flags use combinations of red, white, or blue. White is represented by a bumpy fabric, red by a smooth fabric, and blue by a soft felt.

The first flags we examined were those of the United Kingdom: Ireland (St. Patrick’s Cross), Scotland (St. Andrew’s Saltire), English National Flag (St. George’s Cross).

Then came the National Flag of the United Kingdom, the Union Jack. We were surprised to learn that the Union Jack contains all of the flags of the United Kingdom:

the Scottish St. Andrew’s Saltire, a blue background with a white cross going diagonally from corner to corner

the Irish St. Patrick’s cross, a white background with a red cross going diagonally from corner to corner

the English St. George’s Cross, a white background with a broad red cross going from left to right and top to bottom.

Ann also made flags of some other countries that use red, white, and blue: France, Netherlands, Czech Republic, the Dominican Republic.

A tag is attached to each flag identifying the flag in print and braille. A key to the colors consists of strips of fabric tagged in braille as to the color.

Sylvie and Robby also gave the school several tactile/braille United States and World atlases. These atlases join with our talking/tactile globes and our tactile topographic maps to make a good library of resources for geography and history.

Louis Braille students were excited to welcome a special guest to their classroom. Dana Zimmerman, uncle of one of the students, was a silver medal winner at the 2000 Paralympics in Sydney, Australia.

The morning social studies class focused on Australia. Students located the country on a tactile globe. Dana talked about his experiences there and showed the children the Australian flags and various-sized boomerangs he brought home with him.

Conversation then turned to the Paralympics. Dana shared many souvenirs of the event, including a letter from President Clinton, pictures, pins that the athletes exchanged with one another, and, of course, the Silver Medal.

In the afternoon, Dana, a teacher and a specialist in adapting PE activities for children with challenges, led the students in some fun games involving a parachute, balloons, and much laughter.

We eagerly look forward to another day with Dana the next time he visits Washington.

(In the picture above: front, Australian flag; l to r: 3rd person is wearing the silver medal, 4th person is holding a small boomerang, 5th is Dana, 6th is holding a larger boomerang.)

Louis Braille School students have been learning about money, starting with the coins.

Recently the teachers introduced the 1, 5 and 10 dollar bills and talked about the illustrations on them. The students’ task was to gather coins that would equal a one dollar bill.

One of the students was struggling with idea of combining coins and bills. The teacher asked him how much he had in his right hand ($1 bill).

He replied: “One dead president.”

We first met Alan Bridgeford when he was a little boy in primary school. He was a member of the Louis Braille Center’s Second Saturday Club, where children with vision impairments and their families enjoyed social, recreational, and academic pursuits.

Alan loved to sing. He seemed to know every word of every verse of every song we sang, and his voice rang strong and true.

Alan, now a fine, young man of seventeen, still loves to sing. What a treat it was when he came into our classroom last week for an hour of music. Not only did he sing, but he accompanied himself on his big, red accordion, to the delight of everyone present.

A versatile musician, Alan’s repertoire ranged from the Alphabet Song to Christmas Carols, to Yankee Doodle, with lots of songs in between. We couldn’t resist dancing when he surprised us with a polka.

As a final treat, those interested were invited to feel his accordion. Thank you, Alan. We hope you come back soon.

Continuing a tradition started last year, Louis Braille School students braved cold weather and went to a nearby QFC grocery store to collect food for the Edmonds Food Bank.

Students and staff divided into two teams and, armed with flyers, big smiles, and polite voices, greeted customers at the two main doors of the store. They returned to school an hour later with many bags and boxes of non-perishable items. Some people chose to donate cash to be given to the Food Bank along with the food.

Later in the day, a lady who was shopping at QFC when our students were there stopped by the school with further donations. Recently diagnosed with diabetes, she removed from her shelves all of the non-perishable items she can no longer eat and brought them to us.

The children will again be at the Edmonds QFC store November 25, December 2, and December 9, from 12:30 to 1:30 each day, to collect more food.

And what do our students think about braving the cold to collect food for others? Here are a couple of quotes:

“That was really fun. I want to do it another time.”

“I like doing community service. I just really like helping people wherever I am.”

Applebee’s Restaurant on Everett Mall Way is having a fundraiser for the Louis Braille School.

You are invited to come on Thursday, August 27th, between 11:00 am and 9:00 pm, to Applebee’s at 806 SE Everett Mall Way, Everett WA 98208.

The Louis Braille School will receive 15% of all sales Applebee’s takes in during that time period. In House Dining, To Go, and Carside To Go orders will apply.

Applebee’s is the largest casual dining chain in the world, with locations throughout the U.S. and many countries worldwide. They offer a friendly, welcoming, neighborhood environment and delicious food for every occasion.

You must present an Applebee’s flyer to participate in the fundraiser. To receive a pdf of the flyer, please email director@louisbrailleschool.org or call the Louis Braille School at 425-776-4042. We will email the flyer to you and you may make as many copies as you need.

Each guest check issued by the restaurant will require one flyer. That is, if the bill for a group of four people is to be paid by one person, you will need one flyer. If the bill will be divided by the four people, each person paying will need to present a flyer.

“I’m very excited,” ten-year-old Brett Wheeler exclaimed as he arrived at the Edmonds Lions Club August 17 board meeting.

Brett, blind from birth, was excited because he was about to receive a brand new Perkins brailler, a gift from the Edmonds Lions Club.

Edmonds Lion Red Bingham, who handled the considerable paper work and phone calls it took to fund and obtain the brailler, made the presentation. With Red’s skillful coaching, Brett had to open a big box and remove the packing material before his brailler was finally revealed.

Along with his mother, Jennifer, and his sister, Lyndsey, Brett moved to Edmonds in December of 2008 so he could attend the Louis Braille School. Now in the fifth grade at the Louis Braille School, Brett is happy to have his own brailler so he can practice at home and sharpen his skills. The brailler will serve him well for many years.

The Perkins brailler, sometimes called a “braille typewriter,” is a simple manual machine used to write braille. The brailler has a key corresponding to each of the six dots of the braille code. By simultaneously pressing different combinations of the six keys, users can create any of the characters in the braille code.

Eager to try out his new brailler, Brett brailled the alphabet while the Lions cheered him on.

When asked if he would like to say anything to the Club, Brett replied with heartfelt appreciation, “Thank you for my brailler. I love you, Lions Club.”

Lions Club president Bobby Mills replied “The Lions’ motto is ‘We Serve.’ This is what it is all about.”

Join the fun, food and festivities to help celebrate the rededication of Everett’s Lions Park on Saturday, August 15th, at 10:00 a.m.

Everett’s Mayor Ray Stephanson will officially rededicate Lions Park in a ceremony and community celebration on Saturday morning August 15th. All Lions, family and friends are invited. Back in the early 70’s Lions Park at 75th and Cascade Dr. was named for Everett’s Lions Clubs as a thank you for over a half century of community service.

On August 15th the park will be rededicated after 1 million dollars plus was spent on upgrading the park. Included in the park’s improvements are amenities to help make Lions Park “user friendly” for the blind. This was at the request of Everett’s Lions Clubs.

There are now safer wider trails with safety guards and indicators imbedded in the walkways to alert the visually impaired that stairs are present. This is important for cane travel. Signs will be in Braille and there will be a tactile map to help the blind see the park. Everett’s clubs donated funds to help create these improvements for the blind.

Join other Lions and friends in the fun, food and festivities in a community celebration of Lions Park and Lions Clubs.

For driving instructions ‘google’ Lions Park Everett WA.

For more information contact Art Ruben at 425 514-5464 or since1965@aol.com

In May of 2008, Carolyn Meyer, Director of the Louis Braille School, and I attended a meeting of the Puget Sound Grantwriters Association in downtown Seattle. We listened to Claudia Kauffman talk about the Charitable Fund of the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe in a plain-spoken, friendly, and professional way.

Comparing notes at the end of her presentation was just a formality for us. From the earlier glances we exchanged with each other while she spoke, we both knew the Muckleshoot Charitable Fund was one to which we would submit a grant request.

As we discussed project possibilities that would meet the fund’s guidelines and criteria, it wasn’t long before a booklet Carolyn had created some years ago popped up in our minds as a likely candidate.

The booklet, specifically designed for parents and friends of children learning braille, teaches the basics of uncontracted braille in an easy to learn manner, using interactive exercises, fill-in-the-blanks, and multiple choice.

Carolyn reviewed braille learning materials available at that time and talked to sighted parents of children who are blind. Many of them described the manuals as too complicated and having too much information.

“I wanted something that was simple, direct, and without a lot of explanation—a quick way that would take people through the alphabet, basic punctuation, and numbers,” Carolyn said.

And she wrote a booklet capable of doing all that, according to the feedback she received from families and others who learned the basics of braille from the initial workbook.

But, lacking the funds to expand publication beyond a limited quantity of hand assembled copies, the booklet was shelved until such time as more publishing capital could be obtained. After hearing Claudia Kauffman speak, we hoped that’s how the Muckleshoot Tribe might wish to be of help.

We wrote the grant, sent it off to the tribe in August of 2008, and didn’t think much about it after that as the months went by.

Then, in a letter dated June 19, 2009, we received an official notice informing us
“…your application for funding has been approved by the Muckleshoot Charitable Fund Committee.” Accompanying the letter was a check for $2,500 (slightly more than the sum we originally requested!).

The tribe’s guidelines state: “The Muckleshoot Indian Tribe has long understood the importance of being proactive in meeting the needs of its community. The Muckleshoot Charity Fund has placed high priority in awarding grants to organizations throughout the region that address the unique local and regional issues facing the population.”

The Louis Braille School expects to order a print run sometime in the next few months, with eventual sales aimed at individuals, libraries, agencies and organizations within Snohomish County and beyond working with children who are visually impaired.

Check our Web site in the future for an opportunity to make an online purchase of the booklet. We’re excited at the thought of making such a useful resource easily available at a reasonable cost.

Our thanks go out again to the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe and their Charitable Fund Committee for their support.