Not Just A Living, But A Life

Not Just A Living, But A Life

Future Reflections Winter 1989, Vol. 8 No. 1
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NOT JUST A LIVING, BUT A LIFE
by Laurie Eckery
[PICTURE] Diane McGeorge (at the microphone) introduces students
of the Colorado Center for the Blind at the 1988
NFB Convention in Chicago. Mrs. McGeorge is the President
of the NFB of Colorado and the Director of the
Colorado Center for the Blind.
Editor's Note: At one time, a residential school
for the blind was the only educational option a
blind child had. Many parents today think of it with
horror; but was it really "bad'for the children ? Isn 't
the proof, as the old saying goes, in the pudding?
Reprinted below are portions of an article written
by Laurie Eckery and published in the News From
Blind Nebraskans (the newsletter of the NFB of
Nebraska) some years ago. I kept it because it helps
me keep my perspective about what is really important
in the education of blind children.
"Our earliest perceptions come from those with
whom we have our earliest contact. Usually, it is
our parents (or other guardians) and our
teachers. For some of us, those early perceptions
of life came from houseparents and teachers who
were far away from our homes~the staff of the
Nebraska School for the Visually Handicapped.
It was a trauma indeed for some of us to leave our
homes in order to receive our academic education.
However, as Mr. Regler stated in our 1975
Centennial Yearbook, 'It takes a special kind of
love to be able to send children from their homes
to school, and allow someone from outside the
family to have the privilege of participating in
their daily learning experiences. I hope we have
been worthy of your trust.'
"Now that I am once again involved in academic
education, I realize the origin of my strong
academic training. It also has occurred to me
during an intense study of my family that it was at
Nebraska City that I learned that other people
outside the family could be okay. I think that this
is part of the key that may allow me someday to
have 'not just a living, but a life.'
"As a part of the 1975 Centenial Celebration for
the Nebraska School for the Visually Handicapped,
Laurie and Barbara Beach (now Laurie
Eckery and Barbara Walker) composed a song
featuring the philosophy of Samuel Bacon, the
founder of the school. ...The words follow:
CHORUS:
Not just a living, but a life of dignity,
Not mere subsistence, but a chance to really
be.
Not degradation, but equal education.
Not just a living, but a life for you and me.
VERSE ONE:
In the 1800's 'bout a hundred years ago,
A blind man, Samuel Bacon, knew we had
the right to grow.
And today we profit by his life of
dedication
He founded our school and wrote these
words of inspiration.
VERSE TWO:
As we live our lives today, it is quite obvious,
His words so true for yesterday remain a
guide for us.
We still need more than jobs to gain our full
emancipation,
We need love, respect, and families, and
friends as our foundation.
"During the composition of this song and during
the rest of the festivities of our celebration, we
were not only reminiscing about the blind of the
past and the present, for it was also the blind
children of tomorrow who held our concerns.
Though we support public school education for
blind children, we also support [residential]
education of blind children. We strongly believe
that blind children should be given alternatives
and the chance to choose which form of education
works better in a particular child's particular
circumstances."
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