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SUMMER SCHOOL FOR BABIES

Perkins was asked again to conduct a summer school for blind babies and their mothers, under the care of Dr. Theodore L. Terry. The first school of this type was held at Perkins in June 1945, and an account of this was made in the last Annual Report. In planning for the second session, it was not possible to hold it at the end of the school year, in the month of June, as previously, because of our commitment for the American Association of Instructors of the Blind. It was therefore decided to hold this session for ten days following Labor Day 1946. While this throws this event beyond the period of time covered by this report, mention is made at this time because it normally should have been within the year. It was decided this year to make the program of lectures for the mothers a little lighter than the year before, but during the period the mothers had opportunity to hear leading authorities in all aspects of child care. They were also provided with the opportunity for daily conferences with Miss Gertrude E. Van den Broek, field worker for pre-school blind, of New York State.

The nursery school for the babies was conducted this year by Miss Pauline M. Moor, who in March became full-time field worker for this group, visiting the homes of the parents of children who were prematurely born, and because of that had defective vision. This field work is part of the whole project, and Miss Moor has done a fine piece of work in establishing contacts with the parents, and advising them in the care of their children. This project, which was initiated at the request of Dr. Terry, is now operated jointly by the Perkins Institution and the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, whose workers have done so much with the children in this group. It is financed by a grant from a local trust fund, although both Perkins and the Infirmary contribute the leadership and services of their staff members. All connected with this project were deeply grieved by the sudden death of Dr. Terry, on September 28. His leadership in this field will be greatly missed.

REPORTS FROM AFAR

The opening of world-wide communications coming with the close of the war revealed how far the renown of Perkins has reached, and the international aspects of its influence and prestige. Letters have come literally from all over the world. They ask for advice, for supplies, and for the privilege of sending representatives here to learn our ways and to study our methods. In the Director's active file at this time of writing are letters from Austria, Belgium, China, Egypt, England, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, India, Italy, Mexico, Portugal, the Philippines and Switzerland. At the school during the year there have been representatives of work for the blind from Belgium, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Norway, Sweden, Spain and Russia.

Some of the most interesting letters come from former members of the Harvard Class, about whose welfare we have been concerned during the war. Miss Nicholai writes from Greece, "Our school has been functioning all through the dark years of slavery with many hardships to meet. You Americans cannot imagine our hardships." Miss Caulfield writes from Siam, "The school is going pretty well considering the state of the world. . . . The material with which Perkins so generously supplied us makes it possible for us to carry on our work." Miss Tejada writes from the Philippines, "Classes have not been resumed in the school. . . .I wish to acknowledge receipt of many packages for our school. I extend to you my heartfelt appreciation for them."

There are also letters from the old, established organizations asking that the former relationships be reopened. The Association Valentine Hauy for the Blind, in Paris, writes, "Now that normal relations are reestablished between our countries, we are again considering the exchange of publications. . . .as we did before the war." Major MacMahon of the Gardner's Trust for the Blind in London writes, "Now that the war is over, I am happy to write and express .. . how interesting and valuable I have found the articles and the items of information affecting blind welfare in the United States of America." Dr. Mell in Austria writes that the library of the Vienna Institution has been destroyed, and asks, "If you will send me the last reports of Perkins, I shall give them with the older reports I possess to the institution in amends of the lost copies." Dr. George B. Fryer of Shanghai, China, wrote recently, asking for many reports to supplement those which "I have managed to save from the debris." During the war Perkins kept a sufficient number of Annual Reports to send to foreign countries formerly receiving them, so that their records of our activities may be complete. These are being shipped constantly to all parts of the world.

THE HARVARD CLASS

Perhaps the outstanding medium of our international relations has been the program of teacher-training conducted by Perkins in cooperation with the Graduate School of Education of Harvard University. The course began this year with twenty-five years of experience behind it, and started on its new quarter of a century with a small but interesting group. Included in the class of ten were Miss Laura Trapaga from the School for the Blind in Puerto Rico, and Mrs. Ellen Lin from China, where she expects to return after another year of study at Harvard to secure a master's degree. Another member of the class this year was James Kent, a veteran who lost his sight as a Japanese prisoner in the Philippines, having been a member of the famous Bataan Death March. The Harvard Class, during its twenty-five years, has had representatives from nineteen foreign countries and nearly every State in this country.