[Nfbv-fairfax] Fairfax Chapter assists low-vision teens in awesome social event

[John Bailey]

Fairfax Chapter assists low-vision teens in awesome social event
Hello All,
This is a short note to thank all those who participated in last Saturday's movie night for low-vision students.

Normally, we don't differentiate between low-vision, legally blind, or just plain blind. However, this time, it is an exception.

Several Fairfax County teachers approached our own Annette Carr to ask about the Fairfax Chapter hosting a social event for their students who are vision impaired but have some useable vision. The teachers identified a unique problem for them and asked for our help.

Because the students weren't like the fully-sighted students and because they still had a lot of useable sight, they found themselves socially excluded from both groups. This left the students isolated and wanting for social experiences.

So, Annette and Jay Burke (a recent new member of the chapter) organized a movie night for the teens where they could all share in pizza, candy, an audio described movie, and lots of socializing. In short, it was an awesome success. The entire event exceeded everyone's highest expectations. The teachers were so pleased with how much the kids had and how well the entire event was planned and executed.

Here is an example, Annette was able (after a lot of research and sweat) to find us an audio described movie that everyone could enjoy. In addition, Jay was able to get over $500 of pizza, room rent, and supplies donated without any cost to the chapter.

The teachers and students were so pleased with the event, they all wanted to know what we had planned for them next.

Below is a little summary of who was there.
*             8 students
*             6 parents
*             3 teachers
*             4 Chapter members

Also, I wish to thank Joy Relton for pitching in to ensure the whole event ran smoothly.

There is a lot of interest in the chapter continuing to partner with the student group and teachers in future activities. This is what the chapter was organized for and what we do best.

John Bailey
john_bailey17 at hotmail.com


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