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<DIV>Greetings to all!</DIV>
<DIV>Received from Pam Gaston, NJ CBVI.</DIV>
<DIV>I have received many times throughout my years as a member of the NFBNJ
however, each time I read, my love for Ms. hayes grows.</DIV>
<DIV>Lydia Young hayes was a Federationist before the Federation was
established.</DIV>
<DIV>She raised her expectations and expectations in others to live the life
we
want by transforming dreams into reality.</DIV>
<DIV>She has paved the road to first class citizenship for the blind
community.</DIV>
<DIV>She was a doer by thinking outside of the box.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>We need to read and share the following with others.</DIV>
<DIV>Warmly,</DIV>
<DIV>Joe </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000">We
care. We
share. We grow. We make a difference<BR>Joe Ruffalo, President <BR>National
Federation of the Blind of New Jersey <BR>973 743
0075<BR>nfbnj1@verizon.net<BR><A
href="http://www.nfbnj.org">www.nfbnj.org</A></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000">Raising
Expectations To Live The Life You Want!</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000">Your
old
car keys can be keys to literacy for the blind.<BR>Donate your unwanted
vehicle
to us by clicking <BR>www.carshelpingtheblind.org <BR>or call 855 659
9314<BR></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT size=3 face=Calibri>**</FONT></DIV>
<DIV>Lydia Young Hayes - CBVI's First CEO</DIV>
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<DIV>Lydia Young Hayes, the first Director of the NJ Commission for the
Blind,
was born on September 11, 1871, in Hutchinson, Minnesota. When Lydia was
eight
years old, while playing in a field on her parent's farm, she was thrown by
a
bull. This serious accident resulted in several injuries, including
the
loss of her eyesight.</DIV>
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<DIV>Her parents were determined that Lydia should continue to learn and
grow,
despite her blindness. After a chance meeting with Anne Sullivan,
Helen
Keller's teacher, her parents sent her to live with her uncle to enable her
to
attend the Massachusetts School for the Blind, better known as the Perkins
Institute, where Sullivan received her education.</DIV>
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<DIV>After graduating from the Perkins Institute, Lydia studied at the
Kindergarten Normal School of Boston University. She opened a private
nursery for sighted children but she spent much of her time volunteering as
a
home teacher for blind adults.</DIV>
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<DIV>Around that time, a wave of social consciousness was sweeping across
the
nation, due to the vigorous human rights advocacy efforts of Helen Keller
and
the subsequent media attention she received. As a result, significant
strides
were made toward equalizing opportunities for people who were blind.</DIV>
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<DIV>In 1904 Massachusetts officially recognized the importance of providing
"home education" for blind adults. Lydia Hayes was the first person
asked
to be one of the program's two official teachers, by Helen Keller and the
other
members of the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind.</DIV>
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<DIV>In 1908, Helen Keller, then 27 years old and her teacher Anne Sullivan
visited the home of Montclair resident, Sarah Churchill, a
philanthropist
and music teacher who was also blind. Mrs. Churchill invited several
community
leaders and elected officials to her home, including Governor Franklin Fort
to
talk about the need for NJ's "Commission for the Blind" to become a state
government funded entity. Following that casual meeting, she was invited to
give
testimony before the state legislature. In 1909, Governor Franklin Fort,
followed up on Keller's recommendation to invite Lydia Hayes to accept the
responsibility to lead New Jersey's state agency for the blind.</DIV>
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<DIV>It was unusual for someone female, blind, and as young to be selected
for
such an important job. As the Commission's first Director, her initial task
was
to develop and organize a program of services for NJ residents found to be
blind. In April 1910, with New Jersey ranking third in the nation for
population
density, the Commission for the Blind began providing education and training
for
NJ's blind residents. During that first year, 750 people were registered for
services.</DIV>
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<DIV>Throughout her career, Lydia Hayes fought vigorously for people who are
blind and remained firm in her assertion that their right to a productive
and
fulfilling life was not something she would ever consider
negotiable.</DIV>
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<DIV>Unfortunately, during that time, not everyone agreed with Lydia's
philosophy. As a matter of fact, blind children were often considered a
source
of a family's shame. Subsequently they were often shut away and segregated
from
daily interaction with others. Those who were lucky enough to be able to
attend
school were sent to separate educational institutions, such as the New
Jersey
Institution for the Feeble-Minded, in Vineland, where blind students
were
shut away from their peers and referred to as "inmates".</DIV>
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<DIV>Mostly due to Lydia's determination, New Jersey, unlike other states,
began
providing state support and supervision of Braille classes in public
schools.
Along with her colleague, Janet Gilchrist Patterson, she established the
first
classes where both blind and sighted children could learn together, side by
side
at a school located on Washington St. in Newark. The program was nationally
recognized as innovative, and people from around the country came to see how
Lydia ran her program for blind and sighted children.</DIV>
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<DIV>After retiring in 1942, Lydia moved back to Minnesota to live with her
nephew and his wife, Helen Schultz, a deaf-blind woman who was also her
adopted
daughter. She died at the age of 72, on February 8, 1943.</DIV>
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<DIV>"Education concerning the blind should be two-fold: the education of
the
individual regarding his responsibility to the community and the education
of
the community to promote understanding of the capabilities of the
individual."</DIV>
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Lydia Young Hayes,</DIV>
<DIV>
First Director of the NJ Commission for the Blind</DIV>
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<DIV>Image: Lydia Hayes College Graduation
Photo
Image:
Lydia Hayes Board Room Portrait</DIV>
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<DIV>[cid:image002.jpg@01D4D435.282007D0]
[cid:image004.jpg@01D4D435.282007D0]</DIV>
<DIV>References:</DIV>
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<DIV>Past and Promise: Lives of New Jersey Women; First Syracuse University
Press, 1997; Joan Burstyn, Editor</DIV>
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<DIV>The Unseen Minority; American Foundation for the Blind Inc.., 1976;
Frances
A. Koestler</DIV>
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<DIV>Manuscript Group 1635, Mary and Louise Curcio Collection, The New
Jersey
Historical Society</DIV>
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<DIV>Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States,
1789-1978,
Meckler Books; 1978; Robert Sobel and John Raimo</DIV>
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