Perkins School For The Blind Essay

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People often take the ability to see, talk, hear, work, learn, and defend themselves for granted. Disabled individuals in the 19th century held lesser value in society than those without disabilities and lacked opportunities for education. Kelly’s blind and deaf Great Uncle Steven inspired us to concentrate on liberties gained for similar individuals. With the intent to choose a local topic, we focused on the stand at the Perkins School for the Blind. We initiated our research with emails to college professors, Perkins School graduates, and organizations. One graduate was Bob Branco who wrote a book about his experience at the Perkins School for the Blind. After speaking with Mr. Branco over the telephone, he invited us to a reunion for school graduates. The reunion provided an opportunity to hear experiences from fifty graduates. After this visit, Mr. Branco made us honorary members of his group, sent us a copy of his book, and invited us to a reunion in May. As research continued, we spoke with Kevin Hartigan, who supplied us with a tour of the school and an email interview to recap. We communicated with Perkins graduate, Dennis Polselli, learning about the school's effects on Watertown. People reached out to us from across the country. Another …show more content…

We chose a classic color scheme to support the sensitive topic. The black board represents darkness, while the bright colors represent light. The closed curtain symbolizes the darkness and isolation deaf and blind people faced prior to the establishment of Perkins. As it opens, lights illuminate our board, representing movement from darkness to light in the lives of the deaf and blind community. We added some interactive aspects to our project including a timeline on a walking cane, the Classic Perkins Brailler, a collection of Perkins graduates speaking, and a digital tour of the

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