Armenian community supports blind schools

Thursday, January 19, 2006
The Cambridge Chronicle

It started with an informational reception at Perkins School for the Blind attended by 50 people from the local Armenian community in mid-October. They came to hear about the school's new initiative to assess needs and provide services for children in Armenia who are blind or deaf-blind.

During the reception, Michael Collins, director of Perkins International Program, and Dennis Lolli, consultant for the school's programs in Eastern Europe, described their April 2005 visit to Armenia.[...]. They learned that many children in the country are receiving no educational services and that these children, their teachers and families need information, support and teaching materials. Other needs include helping schools develop curriculum; training teachers to work with children who have multiple disabilities; and providing transportation to students.

"We're very grateful to the community for their initial support of this project and for the opportunities we've been given to spread the word about the needs of children in Armenia and raise funds that will make a difference in their lives and the lives of their families," said Jan Spitz, Perkins' director of development and public relations.
[...]
Donations to Perkins Armenia Fund may be sent to: Perkins School for the Blind, Development Office, 175 North Beacon St., Watertown, MA 02472. Note Perkins Armenia Fund in the memo section of the check.

For more information, call Spitz at 617-972-7465 or e-mail Jan.Spitz@Perkins.org.

Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.