[Nfbwv-talk] SAUNDERS ARTICLE FROM HUNTINGTON HERALD-DISPATCH

[Jack Yahnke]

Thanks Ed,

That is very informative.  I know them but I guess I didn't  REALLY know 
them.  I can't wait to see them again next year.

Jack Yahnke, V.P.
Sightless Workers' Guild

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ed McDonald" <ed at eioproductions.com>
To: "NFB of West Virginia Discussion List" <nfbwv-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, October 07, 2010 4:15 PM
Subject: [Nfbwv-talk] SAUNDERS ARTICLE FROM HUNTINGTON HERALD-DISPATCH


> This story about Buck and Mary Ann Saunders appeared in the October 5, 
> 2010,
> edition of the Huntington Herald-Dispatch:
>
> Faces of the Tri-State: Couple inducted into West Virginia Federation of 
> the
> Blind Hall of Honor
> Huntington Herald-Dispatch
>
>
>
> October 05, 2010 @ 12:00 A
>
> HUNTINGTON -- Buck and Mary Ann Saunders have never been afraid of a 
> little
> bit of hard work.
>
> In fact, you'd be hard-pressed to find a time in their lives when they
> weren't working toward a degree, raising their two now-adult children or
> striving to improve the communities they've lived in during their 44-year
> marriage.
>
> All of that effort reached a particularly rewarding pinnacle last month 
> when
> the Saudnerses were inducted into the National Federation of the Blind of
> West Virginia Hall of Honor.
>
> "It was something we certainly were very proud of," Mary Ann Saunders 
> said.
> "We had been there when others were inducted, but I had never thought 
> about
> whether or not it was something we ever would be a part of."
>
> Buck and Mary Ann Saunders met while they were students at the West 
> Virginia
> School for the Blind in Romney in the 1940s and '50s, but they didn't 
> pursue
> a relationship until the 1960s.
>
> However, Buck said neither of them ever stopped pursuing a quality of life
> that few thought possible when they were younger.
>
> "A friend once said to me 'Well, you do things differently, but you get 
> them
> done.' That's the whole point," Buck Saunders said. "We're just people who
> have had to adapt to situations without vision to do it. Without it, you
> have to work a little harder. You have to find a way it can be done. 
> That's
> true for anyone who wants to fit into the society in which he's born."
>
> Buck Saunders joined the national federation in the late 1950s, while he 
> and
> Mary Ann joined the Huntington Chapter of the federation in 1970, when it
> was known as the Huntington Lighthouse Club.
>
> Buck Saunders has served as chapter president multiple times, and he was
> elected to represent the chapter on the state Board of Directors in 1980, 
> a
> duty he fulfilled for 20 years.
>
> When the state federation established a telephone-based news and 
> information
> service called NFB-Newsline, Mary Ann Saunders was the coordinator.
>
> Throughout their years together, the Saunderses have been a part of
> fundraising efforts, helped the blind find their local news via Newsline,
> mailed out scholarship forms and organized a technology seminar for blind
> people in the community.
>
> There isn't enough space in any news source to list all of their community
> service endeavors, which include picking up litter in their neighborhood 
> and
> providing books for blind children to read.
>
> Mary Ann Saunders said she knew she would fit into the organization 
> because
> it spoke to a lot of the things she believed in.
>
> "At first, I didn't see any point in it because they were talking about
> getting more welfare for blind. Later on, I realized, you have to feed
> people when they're hungry before they can think about a job," Mary Ann
> Saunders said. "We hadn't been married long. We just thought the causes
> needed our help. At first, we mostly just sat back and learned about what
> was going on."
>
> Mary Ann Saunders said there were White Cane Laws in place that required
> drivers to be aware of a person walking with a white cane because that
> person is blind and "they're doing their best to cross and travel 
> properly."
>
> "Employers complained that the blind needed to get jobs," Buck Saunders
> said. "All of this stuff we do is because if only non-disabled people 
> lived
> in the world, it might be fine and everyone could get jobs, but it doesn't
> work that way."
>
> While new laws and the Saudnerses efforts have sharply broadened the way 
> of
> living for the blind community, Buck Saunders said it is up to individuals
> to take their lives into their own hands.
>
> "You can sit at home and have everything taken care of for you, or you can
> put in long hard work. You can work for years to get things accomplished,"
> Buck Saunders said. "You have to work around negative opinions. You find a
> way that is the most effective way for you to do it. Sometimes you fight
> pretty big giants."
>
> The Saunderses said they continue to "fight giants" everyday, but they 
> hope
> by winning those battles, that they can serve as an inspiration to others.
>
> "When someone says someone says their friend son mother or daughter is 
> blind
> or losing vision. I hope the only emotion isn't fear, and that they 
> realize
> they can learn alternative techniques of doing everything from working
> around the house to cooking to computers on down," Mary Ann Saunders said.
> "People will realize the blind aren't helpless, we can do things for our
> selves. We know people live busy lives and don't have time to go to 
> organize
> meetings. Many people are non-joiners, but we will continue with the
> federation and community work for as long as we can."
>
>
>
>
>
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