Smyrna times., 1933-04-05
$50 BLIND LIVE
IN DELAWARE
Funds for Educational Pur-
poses Described as In
adequate. for Work
FINE RESULTS OBTAINED

There are 356 blind and partially
blind persons in Delaware, and of
this number 30 are children, ac-
cording to the biennial report of
the Delaware Commission for the
Blind for the two years ended last
June. Members of the commission
are Mrs. Irene DUPONT, chairman;
the Rev. Charles L. Candee, Herb
ert B. Mearns, ]. Francis Blaine,
Or. Emil r. Mayerberg, Miss Jessie
Harrington and Miss Laura S.Rich-
ards. The commission reports that
Delaware is not enforcing the COM
pulsory education law where blind
and partially blind children are
concerned and adds that funds for
educational purposes are made
quate. The commission cites that
the cost to the State for each blind
child enrolled at residential schools,
i is S7OO year and the State appro-
1 priation is inadequate to permit of
more than six children being sent
year. Had it not been for the
present economic situation" adds
the report, and in consequence,
curtailment of State appropriations,
\ it was the intention of the Della
ware Commission for the Blind, at
the present session of the Legisla-
ture to present a bill asking for an
increase in appropriation for edu-
cational purposes; in other words,
to provide suitable educational op-
portunity for every blind and par
4 tially blind child in the State.
There is need to educate the public
in the belief that the handicapped
child is not liability, but a poten-
4 tial asset" the report continues.
ITO become an asset to the State,
4 it is necessary to provide for him
I the opportunity to overcome his
handicap. The blind and partially
blind should be given an even
chance with the normally seeing
child. 1t is unquestionably better
public policy to spend more money
today in helping the handicapped
child to help himself, than it is to
spend many times as much tomor-
row in supporting him at public
expense. 1t is our desire to re-af-
firm the principle that these chill
dren are not peculiarly set apart
from other children, but that their
needs are the common needs of all
children.
1--WE have a number of outstand-
ing examples of accomplishment
and representation, both in the in
dustrial and educational worlds: a
blind dictaphone operator is en-
ployed in one of our large corpor-
ations; and we have men engaged
very successfully in craftsmanship,
farming, building, piano tuning
newspaper routes. etc. In the field
of arts and science, one of our
young men, Francis Cummings, is
a professor of French at The Penn
sylvania Institute for the Instruc-
tion of the Blind. Mr.. Cummings
has recently received his Ph. D.
from the University of Pennsyl-
vania. Miss Marie King, one of
our girls, also a student at the
Pennsylvania University, finished
her course in education and receiv-
ed her B. S. in June 1890 and is
now doing private tutoring in
Massachusetts,. In the persons of
Miss Marion Burrows, we have a
skilled pianist, whose talent is very
marked Miss Burrows is employ
ed by The Delaware Commission
for the Blind as teacher and field
worker for New Castle county.
These latter examples refer only to
the branches of higher education.
Others have been assisted through
courses corresponding to regular
public school training, and so given
the background of self-reliance af-
forded by an understanding of the
ordinary problems of life.
adult blind, too, have shared in
this activity. although oftentimes
only to the extent of acquiring an
ability to read books and other lit
erature prepared in the Braille and
Moon types. In June, 1928, class
of blind women and girls was