HELP FOR BLIND

Hokitika Guardian, 4 October 1930, Page 5

HELP FOR BLIND

WORK OF WELLINGTON SOCIETY. <

(By Telegraph—Per Press Association.)

WELLINGTON, October 4

Very valuable work among the blind of Wellington who number 52, is being done by the Wellington branch of the Eiritish Red Cross Society. Two dosses,are being conducted by Mrs Henry Hadfield for teaching Braille writing. The pupils are rapidly approaching proficiency.

The secretary of the society, Mr Galloway,' is arranging Tor correspondence with other blind people scattered over the district.

At a meeting of the society Mr Galloway said he had ascertained the names and addresses of 242 blind people in Wellington district, and he was communicating with them with a view to finding what their abilities were in braille. Nearly all had replied and expressed their appreciation of what the society was doing. Not a great num_ her were able to read braille, but it was felt that the formations of classes would give them a real incentive to do so, .

. Writing from Inglewood, a man of 73 stated, lie had learned to read. braille about four and-a Half years ago and he understood there were about 72 braille readers in New Zealand about a year ago. “I now read it myself in half a dozen languages, English, French, Spanish, Italian, Italian and Latin,” He writes: "French is the most highly developed braille, Its third grade in which my reading matter usually reaches me,, is practically the shorthand system, Every month I receive half a dozen magazines, from Europe, four In English, one In French, and one In Spanish. Two of the English braille magazines come from Paris and are of American editing.”