Miss-Delectable
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Several months ago, I visited Perkins School for the Blind, where I was given a book about the first deaf-blind girl to attend the school.
Being an avid reader, I was very interested in reading the book and learning the rich history behind Perkins School for the Blind. The book was titled "The Imprisoned Guest," by Elizabeth Gitter.
The book describes how Laura Bridgman came to Perkins and lived her life to the fullest despite her disability. The book also goes into the history of the school in Watertown.
The Perkins School for the Blind was opened in 1832, with Samuel Gridley Howe as its first director. He was dedicated to giving blind children the best education along with the chance to be independent in society.
Even though Howe was thrilled with the school's progress, he wanted to disprove the theory that people who were blind as well as deaf were lost causes. He wanted to prove that even though there were barriers, deaf-blind individuals can be taught to communicate along with being educated in all areas.
Laura was born in New Hampshire in 1829. At age 2, she contracted scarlet fever, which left her blind and deaf with no sense of smell and only a slight sense of taste.
As a young child, Laura used her sense of touch to explore her surroundings. She learned to knit, sew and do household chores by imitating her mother. Laura and her family developed their own sign language to help Laura identify her needs and family members.
Eventually, Howe learned about Laura's story and felt she had a chance to be educated at Perkins. After meeting with Laura's parents, Howe enrolled Laura in Perkins at age 7 in 1837.
Howe's first step was to teach Laura the English language with cut-up letters with raised bumps. First, she matched words with objects, showing them together and then letting Laura do the matching. This experiment showed that Laura was imitating from memory.
The one exercise that showed Laura connected the concept of the English language was when Laura took piles of letters and rearranged them into words after being shown familiar words. Laura's teachers expanded on this newfound knowledge to teach her many subjects, such as writing, grammar, history and math skills.
At age 20 in 1850, Laura finished her education and returned home. However, she missed her school and eventually returned to live at the school, only leaving to visit her family during the summertime.
At age 59 on May 24, 1889, Laura passed away quietly at her home at the Perkins School for the Blind.
I found Laura's courage and thirst for learning to be inspiring as I think others will who read this book or visit the historical gallery at the Perkins School. It is people like Laura who become role models for future generations.
Laura's story touched many. For example, Charles Dickens wrote about Laura in his book "American Notes," which was read by the family of another deaf-blind child, giving them hope that the school could help their daughter - Helen Keller.
It is stories like these that help us see that if there is a will, then there is a way to conquer all.
Carrie Barrepski, a native of Livonia, Mich., lives in Western Massachusetts. You can learn more about Carrie at her Web site, www.carriewrites. ada law.net She can be reached at carriewrites@yahoo.com
Several months ago, I visited Perkins School for the Blind, where I was given a book about the first deaf-blind girl to attend the school.
Being an avid reader, I was very interested in reading the book and learning the rich history behind Perkins School for the Blind. The book was titled "The Imprisoned Guest," by Elizabeth Gitter.
The book describes how Laura Bridgman came to Perkins and lived her life to the fullest despite her disability. The book also goes into the history of the school in Watertown.
The Perkins School for the Blind was opened in 1832, with Samuel Gridley Howe as its first director. He was dedicated to giving blind children the best education along with the chance to be independent in society.
Even though Howe was thrilled with the school's progress, he wanted to disprove the theory that people who were blind as well as deaf were lost causes. He wanted to prove that even though there were barriers, deaf-blind individuals can be taught to communicate along with being educated in all areas.
Laura was born in New Hampshire in 1829. At age 2, she contracted scarlet fever, which left her blind and deaf with no sense of smell and only a slight sense of taste.
As a young child, Laura used her sense of touch to explore her surroundings. She learned to knit, sew and do household chores by imitating her mother. Laura and her family developed their own sign language to help Laura identify her needs and family members.
Eventually, Howe learned about Laura's story and felt she had a chance to be educated at Perkins. After meeting with Laura's parents, Howe enrolled Laura in Perkins at age 7 in 1837.
Howe's first step was to teach Laura the English language with cut-up letters with raised bumps. First, she matched words with objects, showing them together and then letting Laura do the matching. This experiment showed that Laura was imitating from memory.
The one exercise that showed Laura connected the concept of the English language was when Laura took piles of letters and rearranged them into words after being shown familiar words. Laura's teachers expanded on this newfound knowledge to teach her many subjects, such as writing, grammar, history and math skills.
At age 20 in 1850, Laura finished her education and returned home. However, she missed her school and eventually returned to live at the school, only leaving to visit her family during the summertime.
At age 59 on May 24, 1889, Laura passed away quietly at her home at the Perkins School for the Blind.
I found Laura's courage and thirst for learning to be inspiring as I think others will who read this book or visit the historical gallery at the Perkins School. It is people like Laura who become role models for future generations.
Laura's story touched many. For example, Charles Dickens wrote about Laura in his book "American Notes," which was read by the family of another deaf-blind child, giving them hope that the school could help their daughter - Helen Keller.
It is stories like these that help us see that if there is a will, then there is a way to conquer all.
Carrie Barrepski, a native of Livonia, Mich., lives in Western Massachusetts. You can learn more about Carrie at her Web site, www.carriewrites. ada law.net She can be reached at carriewrites@yahoo.com