The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-12-16
Handicaps of The Blind
No Obstacle To Actiuitv

the blind brought to light the need
for such a commission.
Five-County Area
Miss Lovett works in five co,,n.
ties which includes. New Hanover
brunswick, Fender, Columbus and
onslow counties. She took her
training at Vanderbilt University
before coming to Wilmington. Miss
Lovett herself is blind, being able
only to distinguish the differences
between night and day.
Her salary is paid by the State
commission, with an extra allow.
ance, or travelling expenses, but
this combined sum is not large
enough to GLOW the expenditure of
sums for a driver to take her from
place-to-place, the upkeep on her
car, nor to provide materials for
those persons whom she is train
ing.
She had originally planned to
live in another town, when she
undertook the local work two and
a-haf years ago, where living con-
ditions would be ches per. The
Lions Club then offered to supple
ment her salary, by paying a por-
ton OF her rent, and to furnish
materials which are needed in her
work.
Under these conditions she has
been able to live in Wilmington
and give closer contact to the New
Hanover county situation as it, con-
Germs the blind persons.
In her work, Miss Lovett is con-
cerned in finding some form OF &C.
cupation for the person with whom
she is working. This, she explained
is very necessary, for in the ms :
Jorlty OF her cases, the afflicted
person has reached low state of
mind and has feeling that he or
she is merely an circumference on
those persons with whom they
come in daily contact.
Her first step is to gain the con-
fidence of her "ct se'', as she calls
them, and teach them to move
about, to help themselves in many
different ways, and to instill in
them the desire to do something
in material way for themselves.
Teaching Blind To Walk
She teaches them to walk with
a cane, read braille, CT ne chairs,
do leather work, crochet, make
rugs and mats, to sew; do their
own household duties, find their
way about the city. plant gardens
and especially to adjust them
selves to life in the community.
For example: Last summer Miss
Lovett called upon E, man who had
been blind for years. He seemed
to have lost faith with everything
and everybody. The case worker
then took him into the back yard,
made him learn his way about and
after several trips to the home laid
out a garden for him with Irvine.
After the 81 rden had been rough
/ ~ plotted she told him to "get
started" He spaded the garden
using the string as a guide, raked,
lined, planted and hilled it. He
tended it through the summer and
gathered from it a fine harvest of
garden truck. The man was never
able to see what he had r. ised, but
he had the satisfaction of a LOB
well DONE and regained spirit
that had not been his to enjoy for
many years.
At the present time, Miss Lovett
is working with a young man who
is blind, and paraiyzed from the
chest down. He had merely lain in
bed day after day and year after
year. His doctor called the worker
in on the case and in 10 trips to
the home she had her patient sit
ting up in a rolling chair and
making woven rugs. According to
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