I interviewed Perkins school for the blind on February 22.
Perkins School for the blind is the school for people who have disabilities in Boston. One of the famous graduates is Helen Keller. Actually, I wanted to visit the school and interview in person. But, because of Covid-19, the school doesn’t allow outsiders to come inside the school. So I interviewed a person who worked at the library in this school on Zoom.
We asked her mainly about the support for blind people. She said the support improved, but it is still confusing. Even if there is enough support, it is difficult to find which help they need, because each person has a different situation. The support they have now is school, facilities, projects, to provide money, and braille products. Also, some volunteers help blind people in daily life. But, during Pandemic, it is unable to meet volunteers and blind people together. Another problem for blind people is it is difficult to notice the visually impaired around people. Almost all other disabilities are obvious. But, being blind is less obvious. So they can’t get enough support compared to others. Sometimes they feel isolated. She thinks blindness needs more help rather than other disabilities.
My most memorable thing is the difference between Japan and America. In Japan, all most all the bottle of shampoo has braille. In contrast, in the U.S, I didn’t see the braille in the bottle of them. So I asked her about it. She said this problem is being discussed now. It is national problem. So, if need agreement from all states and companies. I hope they decide to put braille on some products as soon as possible.
Mei Igarashi