PERKINS SPOTLIGHT
Maggie O’Reilly, Perkins Secondary Program
Maggie O’Reilly’s bright smile brims with eagerness as she stands inside the west door of the Howe Building with her white cane in hand.
Her instructor, Mary Trainor, reminds Maggie of her goal to independently walk one day a week to her classes under staff supervision. “The waiting bench is your destination. Are you ready to go?”
Maggie, who four years ago was afraid to take one step into open space alone, nods enthusiastically and starts down the hallway. She travels at a pace Trainor proudly calls, “turbo turtle.” Learn more.
IMPORTANT DATES
Discover Conference for Parents of School-Aged Children
October 23, 2010
Perkins Campus
This conference brings families & professionals from several states to our campus. Everyone leaves with new skills, strategies and, above all, hope for their children’s success.
The 2010 Discover Conference focuses on helping families build networks and find support from each other.
Visit us online today to learn more about our keynote speaker and exciting sessions.
Additional Sponsors: National Association for Parents of Children with Visual Impairments, and the New England Consortium Deafblind Project.
See what's new at Perkins!
PERKINS PRODUCTS
Back Seat Driving for the Blind
The Trekker Breeze is a handheld GPS for the visually impaired. With Trekker, you will never again have to ask the driver where you are. Enter a location as a landmark and the unit plans a route for walking or riding. You can ask what town you are in, what street you are on, and how far you have to go. Set your starting point as a landmark and you will always be able to find your way home.
Trekker brings security into your travel and adds entertainment to your trip by locating nearby restaurants and stores. Learn more.
Visit our online store to see all our product offerings.
PERKINS SCOUT
In this growing online database, you’ll find reliable, authoritative, and up-to-date resources covering a range of topics, including general information on blindness, help for families with relatives who are visually impaired, and resources for educators and other professionals. Start searching today.
 
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INSIDE STORY: Orientation and Mobility
 Her white cane grazing the sidewalk in front of her feet, Katie whistles cheerily as she walks through the Perkins School for the Blind campus on a sunny afternoon.
“You want to remember to make a wide swing with your cane,” Donna Bent, Katie’s orientation and mobility instructor, urges. Katie, who is legally blind and hearing impaired, uses her cane to detect the low obstacles she cannot see in her path.
Taking a summer stroll through a residential neighborhood might be considered a leisure activity. But for Katie, walking in unfamiliar territory off campus is a challenging lesson in orientation and mobility.
Every day at Perkins, students like Katie develop skills they will use throughout their lives to safely and independently navigate the world around them.
Learn more.
PERKINS INTERNATIONAL: Where in the World is Perkins?
 In a July 2010 workshop focusing on orientation and mobility instruction for preschoolers with multiple disabilities, Perkins International trainers shared their expertise with educational leaders from India, Sri Lanka, Philippines, and Indonesia. The training, which took place in India, stressed the importance of involving families in the orientation and mobility development of young children.
Namita Jacob, Education Specialist for Perkins International Asia/Pacific Region, said mobility instruction in Asia historically began with students who were six years and older but today there is a greater emphasis on early intervention.
“With the change in the population we are serving today, I saw this need in every one of the countries I’ve worked in,” Jacob said.
Learn more.
NEWS
Perkins 2010-2015 Strategic Plan Online
 Every decision we make today affects our destination tomorrow. For this reason, the Perkins faculty, staff, parents and trustees have worked together to create our 2010-2015 Strategic Plan.
The plan is a blueprint that will guide our decisions regarding classroom programming, budgeting, development and more for the next five years. We invite you to explore the Strategic Plan on our website to learn more about Perkins and our plans for the future, as well as the Touch Our World Comprehensive Campaign, which will ensure we have the financial means to turn this vision into reality.
Learn more.
New educational webcast on CHARGE Syndrome
 Sharon Stelzer, a long-term teacher in the Perkins Deafblind Program, discusses the impact of CHARGE Syndrome upon the student and strategies a teacher can implement to create a good learning environment. Establishing schedules and structure as well as offering the student opportunities to make choices are stressed. Sharon also talks about the benefits of helping students with CHARGE Syndrome learn the art of negotiations. Watch it now.
$66K Received, $34K Left to Go: Help us Close the Gap!
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We have a $100K Challenge: Help us reach our goal by Aug 31st and your gift will be matched dollar for dollar by The Weezie Foundation in support of Perkins Outreach Programs. Learn more.
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