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THE SOCIAL WORKER REPORTS

"During the year," the social worker reports, "a great increase has been noted in the variety and the number of parents visiting the school for advice and guidance for their pre-school and young blind children, as to educational programs. Many of these parents came from the South and West, and possibly were directed toward Perkins by the extremely wide interest in some recent magazine articles about our school. Their interest may also be partly due to the recent summer school project which seems to have had a great deal of publicity. It is of interest that the incoming kindergarten for the year 1946-1947 has eighteen applicants, which is approximately twice the usual number for our kindergarten. Of these eighteen, four belong to the new diagnostic group of retrolental fibroplasia about whom we have been so concerned since our cooperative effort with Dr. Terry on the nursery school project."

The enrollment of the school as of October 1, 1946 was 254, which is three below that of a year ago. Of the New England pupils, 152 are from Massachusetts, thirty-two from Maine, twenty from Rhode Island, eighteen from New Hampshire, and fourteen from Vermont. (Connecticut has its own school in Hartford with about forty pupils.)

Twenty-eight pupils came from outside New England. The highest enrollment for the year was reached in December 1945, when there were 261 on the register, 145 boys and 116 girls. There were sixty-one admissions during the year, thirty-three boys and twenty-eight girls. There were fifty-five discharges of pupils who had completed their work at the school, or were discharged because they had reached the limit of their ability, or who withdrew in order to go to work.

MORE PUPILS FROM AFAR

The large number of pupils from outside our normal area, which is New England, except Connecticut, is significant and indicates a trend. This year pupils came from nineteen different states and three foreign countries. An increasing number of requests are coming to us from parents of children in other parts of the country for admission to Perkins. When these applications are received we refer them to their state schools, but most of those who have been admitted are sent by the parents as private pupils, and Perkins can hardly close its doors to those who wish to send their children here, especially when they say, "We want the best for our children."

Foreign pupils this year are from Mexico, England, Italy and Hawaii. The young man from Mexico is a private pupil whose father is a member of the Mexican Senate, and Treasurer of one of the states, while the girl from Hawaii is one of the winners of a Perkins National Scholarship. Holders of other national scholarships came from Maryland, Michigan and Pennsylvania. The other two foreign pupils are from England and Italy, and a word about each of them may be of interest.

The Annual Report of last year contained a picture of Jimmy Osborn, ten-year-old English boy who arrived in this country in August 1945, and was the center of a great deal of publicity in newspapers throughout the country and abroad. Jimmy is a totally blind boy who had developed the ability to play practically anything on the piano from boogie-woogie to Bach. Living near an air field, he became a great favorite of the American boys and played frequently at their encampment. So popular did he become that the Ninth Air Force raised over $3,000.00 to send him to America for his education. Perkins was pleased to be selected as the school where the boys of the Ninth Air Force felt he could receive the training they wanted him to have. In the agreement reached with the custodian of his fund it was understood that he was to receive a well-rounded education which would give him adequate preparation for life, and not be exploited as a musical genius.

Perkins has undertaken to carry out that contract with the Ninth Air Force, and during the year has given Jimmy the fundamentals of schooling which he needed, as he had had practically no formal education. This called for much individual instruction to bring him up to the grade where he should be because of his age. We have not, however, neglected his music, and are giving him some fundamental training, because all of his musical work before has been acquired by listening to the radio or records. We have not permitted Jimmy to make many public appearances, even though the demand for him has been tremendous. He is a most likable boy, and is finding his place in our Perkins family as an American, as he likes to call himself.

Another foreign visitor, but for a shorter time, was Giuliano Cabbia, an eight-year-old Italian boy, sent to this country by the 88th Division, which was stationed near his home in the northern part of Italy. Giuliano lost his sight by being kicked in the face by a horse belonging to a German officer. He is an accordion player of outstanding ability, and became a favorite of the boys of the 88th Division. Funds were raised to send him to this country for an eye operation at Johns Hopkins Hospital. After all possible surgical care was provided, and it was determined that he could not regain his sight, plans were made for his future education. Once again Perkins was selected and Giuliano and the soldier who was sent over here with him were our guests for several months. During this time Giuliano proved to be a brilliant student, and there is every indication that he can readily adjust himself to normal life and carry on the regular school program, as well as become an accordion player of unusual ability. As this boy has an excellent home with a family who are in a position to give him adequate care, we recommended to the Army authorities that he return to his family, and arrangements were made for him to do so in June. During the summer, Perkins received a most beautiful illuminated parchment scroll expressing thanks for the hospitality which we had extended to Giuliano while he was at Perkins.