Literature Review

Literature Review

Future Reflections Fall 1990, Vol. 9 No. 3
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LITERATURE REVIEW
WALKING ALONE
AND
MARCHING TOGETHER

A History of the Organized Blind Movement
in the United States

1940-1990
Written by Floyd Matson
Published by the
National Federation of the Blind, ©1990
A STORY NEVER TOLD
This book tells a story --as true as it is dramatic --that has never been told before. It is
a story of the epochal struggle and ultimate triumph
of a singular American social movement,
that of the organized blind, which evolved over
the space of half a century from a small vanguard
of visionary men and women into a nationwide
community of fifty thousand members -- recognized
throughout the world as a major force in
the field of blindness and civil rights.
Unlike previous histories of blindness and the
blind, which have dealt almost entirely with the
work of benefactors and agencies for the blind,
this magisterial study by a distinguised cultural
historian --Floyd Matson -- breaks new ground
in focusing upon the actions and aspirations of
the organized blind themselves. It follows the
progress of the movement from its historical
origins in the remote past to the pioneering adventure
of its founding in 1940, then through the
early years of lonely struggle for the right of the
blind to organize (indelibly associated with the name of John F. Kennedy). Then we see the
turmoil of "civil war," followed by renewed harmony
and explosive growth in both size and stature
-- as symbolized by the establishment of the
multi-faceted National Center for the Blind.
"A landmark publication? Absolutely! 1
recommend this text for all university or high
school level teachers or libraries concerned
with American history, postwar politics, social
studies, minority rights, affirmative action
philosophy, or 'the handicapped'."
Allen Harris
Chairman, Social Studies Department and
Chairman, Curriculum Council, Edsel
Ford High School, Dearborn, Michigan
"...A fascinating story of the rise of one segment
of American society to first-class
citizenship based on its own grassroots efforts."
John
Halverson Program Division Director,
Federal Office for Civil Rights, Region VII
"Eye care professionals, researchers, and
rehabiliation specialists serving individuals
facing vision loss will gain essential insight
and perspective...." Eileen Rivera Administrative Director,
Wilmer Vision Research and
Rehabilitation Center,
Johns Hopkins University
FOR TRAINING TODAY'S
PROFESSIONALS... "This book is an important tool for training
professionals who work with minority groups
or disabled persons. Every educator who has responsibility for designing and implementing
programs to bring minority groups or disabled
students into the mainstream should
know this story, and no teacher of the disabled
should enter a classroom without understanding
the aspirations of the blind told
in this book." Homer Page, Ph.D.
Professor of Education
Graduate School of Education,
University of Colorado at Boulder
The author: Floyd Matson has lectured and written
widely in the fields of minority rights, social
thought, and political action. He is the author or
editor of eleven books and is the co-author with
Jacobus tenBroek of Hope Deferred: Public Welfare
and the Blind (1959). He also collaborated
with tenBroek on the awardwinning Prejudice,
War, and the Constitution (1954), detailing the
constitutional implications of the evacuation of
Japanese Americans from the West Coast during
World War II. Professor Matson teaches
American Studies at the University of Hawaii.
The book is $30.00 plus $3.00 for shipping and
handling. To order you may use credit card, institutional
purchase order, or check made payable
in full to:
Publishing Department
National Federation of the Blind
1800 Johnson Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21230
Telephone (301) 659-9314
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