“Serving the visually and hearing impaired in Illinois and around the world,” is one of the pillars of Lions of Illinois Foundation and locally, the Huntley Area Lions Club.
The Lions Club offered information as it celebrated Helen Keller Day on June 28 at Huntley Area Public Library. The annual event honors Keller, who earned a bachelor’s degree as she overcame blindness.
Since 1971, Lions Clubs International has celebrated Keller’s speech each June 1 in 1925 about American Federation of the Blind.
Nationally Helen Keller Day has been recognized since 1980, when President Jimmy Carter signed a proclamation marking the 100th anniversary of her birth in West Tuscumbia, Alabama.
“This is the fifth year we have had Helen Keller Day, the first time at the library,” Lion member Mary Meyer said. “We have the state-wide mobile vision testing van for children and a machine which also tests for any abnormality in sight. Lions Club members were trained on the machine through our District 1-F.”
The vision tests are for low vision students in grades K-12, which are free screening and they may obtain eyewear, vision tools and training to enhance and preserve their visual abilities.
Diabetes awareness is another effort of the Lions of Illinois Foundation, as that disease is the chief cause of blindness in people age 20-years-old and older in America, according to the Foundation.
Lion member Pam Palmer mentioned how one family’s child was assisted through the vision test.
“Five of the six children all tested fine,” Palmer said. “But the test discovered a cancerous tumor in the youngest child. The test saved that child’s eyesight.”
At a library program room, participants could experience the impact vision impairedness may have. They wore blindfolds and attempted to stack cups, or tried to walk using a cane.
Meanwhile, attendees could learn from Sun City resident Mary Kozy who brought her dog Kiwana, and explained the Guide Dogs for the Blind effort.
“We’ve had Kiwana for four years, and she is six-years-old,” Kozy said. “She came from a litter of six, but only three became Guide Dogs. She is well-known around Sun City, and great for socialization.”
Guide Dogs for the Blind’s dogs can help their humans in instances such as crossing streets, through intentional disobedience, Kozy said.
“I’ve had a guide dog for 55 years, since when there were seven schools nationally,” Kozy said.
“Guide Dogs for the Blind is more than an industry-leading dog school; we are a passionate community that serves the visually impaired,” according to a Guide Dogs for the Blind flier. “With exceptional client services, and a robust network of trainers, puppy raisers, donors and volunteers, we prepare highly qualified dogs to serve and empower individuals who are blind or have low vision. All of our services are provided free of charge.”
Participants could learn and feel Braille through Horizons for the Blind of Crystal Lake, which had representatives present.
Keller’s life
Keller was an American author, political activist, and lecturer.
“The story of how Keller’s teacher, Anne Sullivan, broke through the isolation imposed by a near-complete lack of language, allowing the girl to blossom as she learned to communicate, has become widely known through the dramatic depictions in the 1959 play and the 1962 film “The Miracle Worker,” according to an article posted on Wikipedia.
