ERVING — On a mission to help blind children gain access to Braille books, a group of fourth-grade students held a fundraiser for the National Braille Press to promote the literacy of blind children.
About two dozen students from Erving Elementary School became interested in Braille after reading the children’s biography, “Louis Braille: The Boy Who Invented Books for the Blind,” written by Margaret Davidson. The students became increasingly interested in Braille, becoming keenly aware of the Braille signs at the school building and had many questions about how Braille books are made, said Lisa Bartlett-Nuttelman, a teacher from the school.
The students held a read-athon to support the outreach of the National Braille Press, one of the few Braille publishers in the nation that creates Braille books for the blind and visually impaired. The students raised $731.54 and then went on a field trip on May 13 to deliver the money to the press headquarters in Boston.
“When they learned how expensive it is to make a Braille book in comparison to a print book, they wanted to help children who are blind have books that they themselves enjoy, such as the Harry Potter series,” said Bartlett-Nuttelman.
On the field trip to the Boston-based publisher, the students were able to read combination Braille/print books, which are designed for both blind and sighted children to enjoy reading side-by-side.
The students had a question-and-answer session with those working there and they were introduced to one of the guide dogs. They also were able to tour the building and learn how Braille books are made. A staff member read the book, “Have You Filled a Bucket Today?” by Carol McCloud, to the children.
“The book uses the idea of filling someone’s bucket by practicing kindness with affirming words and actions. The students are very familiar with this book as ‘bucket filling’ has been a school-wide theme here at Erving Elementary School,” Bartlett-Nuttelman said.
The National Braille Press is a leading publisher of children’s books in Braille and hosts Children’s Braille Book Club where a new book is offered monthly, in both print and Braille so that sighted parents or others can read to a blind child, said Ann Murphy, a National Braille Press spokeswoman.
The children from Erving Elementary School loved the trip and even went home with a souvenir, said Bartlett-Nuttelman. “They actually gave them some paper that had just been printed, which is quite a treasure for them,” said Bartlett-Nuttelman. “It was quite a wonderful experience.”
You can reach Lisa Spear at:
lspear@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261, ext. 280