Around Town

Perkins’ New Howe Innovation Center Accelerating Accessibility to Technology for Disabled

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Perkins SchoolOn May 5, Olin College of Engineering students came to campus to demonstrate their CLEW technology at Perkins School’s Howe Innovation Center. The following announcement was provided by Perkins School for the Blind:

Perkins School for the Blind announces the launch of the Howe Innovation Center at Perkins. Named in honor of Perkins’ forward-thinking founding director, Samuel Gridley Howe, the Center is designed to unlock the power of the entrepreneurial and disability communities to create purpose-built solutions for a more accessible world. Every day, entrepreneurs and designers work to incorporate technology into new products to benefit the growing disability population, which is estimated to be 1.85 billion people or approximately 15 percent of the global population. In the disability tech field, these companies are leveraging recent advances in natural language processing, computer vision, and wireless communication to unlock accessibility for people with disabilities.

Entertainment

Perkins School’s Holiday Concert Available Live & Remotely

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Perkins School for the BlindPerkins School for the Blind students will perform two holiday concerts in 2022. The following announcement was provided by Perkins School for the Blind:

As the holiday season approaches, we are excited to invite you and your families to attend one or both of our upcoming holiday concerts this December in person and virtually. Sunday, December 11 at 4:30 p.m. (In person)Tuesday, December 13 at 7:30 p.m. (In person and virtual)No RSVP is required.Please note that guests are asked to wear a mask and ensure they are not experiencing any of these symptoms before arriving on campus. You can view the full guidelines on our website. We’re delighted to welcome our community back to campus to what’s always been a highly-anticipated and simply awesome annual performance by our students.

Schools

Perkins Students Show Some Bruins a Thing or Two About Goal Ball

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Charlie BreitroseBoston Bruins players Tomas Nosek, left, and Pavel Zacha, shake hands with one of the Perkins School for the Blind goal ball players. Two members of the Boston Bruins got a lesson on what it’s like to play a sport designed for people who are blind or vision impaired on Thursday afternoon. Pavel Zacha and Tomas Nosek each donned a pair of goggles that blacked out their vision, and had to defend a goal that was about 30 feet wide. On the other end were three experienced members of the Perkins School for the Blind goal ball team. Charlie BreitroseBoston Bruins player Pavel Zacha rolls the goal ball in the exhibition game against students from Perkins School for the Blind.

Schools

Perkins School Teacher Participating in USA Blind Soccer Summit

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USABAA teacher from Perkins School for the Blind will take part in the inaugural USA Blind Soccer Coaching Education Summit. The following information was provided by the U.S. Association for Blind Athletes:

Kelsey Linsenbigler, an adapted physical education teacher at Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, is among the 26 coaches and educators from across the United States attending the inaugural USA Blind Soccer Coaching Education Summit this week in Staunton, Virginia. 

The inaugural USA Blind Soccer Coaching Education Summit will take place June 22-23 at the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind. The camp will host coaches from schools for the blind, parks departments, soccer clubs, adaptive sports groups and other organizations to learn about blind soccer and how to integrate it into their programs and their communities. The camp is a collaboration between the Clemson University Adaptive Soccer Program, Maryland School for the Blind, the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind (VSDB), and U.S. Association for Blind Athletes (USABA). Blind soccer is in a grassroots phase of development as the USABA works to develop a national team for the L.A. 2028 games.

Celebration of Spring

Perkins School & Revels Present 21st Annual Celebration of Spring on Facebook Live

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RevelsRevels singers and the Perkins School for the Blind will put on a musical Celebration of Spring. The following information was provided by Revels:

Join us for our 21st annual springtime collaboration with the talented Perkins School community! 

There are many harbingers of Spring in the Revels calendar but for us, the annual Spring concert that we perform with our friends at Perkins School for the Blind is a special favorite. Traditionally our Revels chorus pairs up with the Perkins students one-on-one and we sing and dance the season in. This year, like last, will be a virtual event, but that will not stop the dancing or the singing! We will be filming on-site at Perkins for this special Facebook Live event and we are looking forward to the amazing alchemy that always accompanies this musical collaboration. As a bonus, members of Boston’s Chorus pro Musica will be adding their voices to the celebration. Join us at home in this decades-old tradition!  

Revels and Perkins School for the Blind began collaborating on springtime music programs over two decades ago, and over time, the event has blossomed into an annual tradition and one of the most memorable and rewarding events of the year for our organizations and the audiences we serve.  This year’s production serves upold songs through new technology as our combined choruses present A Celebration of Spring, a joyful program of seasonal music, dance, poetry and song!

Around Town

Perkins Library Print Deliveries Impacted by Paper Shortages

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The following announcement was provided by Perkins School for the Blind:

Patrons who subscribe to the Talking Book Topics (TBT) catalogue in print will not receive the January–February 2022 issue due to ongoing supply-chain issues and worldwide paper shortages. 

For those who use TBT in audio format, the January–February 2022 edition is already available on cartridge, and for download on BARD and through BARD Mobile as DB 106440. Additionally, TBT Abridged will be available through Braille Book Review in hardcopy braille, as well as in the BRF electronic format. If you would like to subscribe to TBT on cartridge or to Braille Book Review, please contact the Library at (617) 972-7240 or Library@Perkins.org Patrons can also access TBT January–February 2022 online in HTML and PDF. TBT in HTML contains direct links to BARD for downloading or adding books to wish lists, and TBT in PDF includes printable order forms for mailing. View January-February 2022 TBT Online

Entertainment

Watch Perkins School’s Students Perform in the Annual Holiday Concert

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Students at Perkins School for the Blind sang in the annual Holiday Concert on Dec. 16. Perkins School for the Blind held its annual Holiday Concert on Dec. 16, and if you missed it (or want to catch it again), the concert can be viewed online. The school included the following message with the concert announcement:

“Every year, our student musicians perform beautiful choral and instrumental works, showcasing the ways music can be accessible for all.

Around Town

Boston’s Prudential Center Turned Blue for Perkins School for the Blind This Month

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The Prudential Center sports a blue top and towers over Boston’s Back Bay skyline. The following announcement was provided by Perkins School for the Blind:

Earlier this month, Perkins School for the Blind lit up the Back Bay skyline as part of the Prudential Center’s Annual 31 Nights of Light program. Each night during December the Prudential Tower shines bright to celebrate local Boston-area organizations. Perkins selected Dec. 3, International Day of Persons with Disabilities, to shine a light on the 240 million children around the world with disabilities.