News
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Blind Week 2007 - thank you!
The Foundation has had some wonderful feedback on our new-look Blind Week 2007 campaign and some great fun collecting this year. We'd like to thank all our devoted staff, members, volunteers and supporters for their awesome effort. The total amount collected will be announced on the website by the end of December and we will be seeing the difference this makes in our ongoing services and activities. Thank you!
Board of Directors election results
Linda Beck (914 votes) and Geraldine Glanville (651 votes) have been re-elected as Directors in the Foundation's Board elections. In addition, Dr John White (whose role representing associate members on the Board also came up for renewal) retains his directorship, as there were no other nominations.
A total of 1,599 members voted in the election: 1,481 used voting papers; 41 used braille voting cards; and 77 voted on TIS (the Telephone Information Service). There were 15 invalid votes and 12 returned with no vote. In 2006, a total of 2,009 votes were cast.
Foundation Library closes over Christmas
Due to some major computer system infrastructure upgrades, the Library will close on Friday 21 December and open again on Monday 7 January 2008. If you are a library member and would like to order extra books to ensure you have plenty of reading during the closedown, please contact the library on 09 355 6969 or 0800 24 33 33 Option 2. The Library staff will be very pleased to help you.
Merv Smith - Narrator of the Year
The Foundation named Merv Smith as winner of the 2007 Narrator of the Year award, acknowledging his talent and his 38 years of service to the blind community. "What makes Merv such a wonderful narrator is his talent for sight reading - he interprets materials as he reads, making for
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a conversational and personal experience with the reader," says Mary Schnackenberg, divisional manager adaptive support. This is Merv's third Narrator of the Year award. Alongside his career as an iconic Auckland broadcaster, Merv has dedicated time to narrating approximately 100 titles for the Foundation, including a vast selection of magazines and books.
RNZFB loses rates case
While the Foundation has traditionally been exempt from paying rates on its property, Auckland City Council decided, following an overhaul of rating law in 2002, to charge rates on the parts of the Parnell site that are commercially leased rather than used for Foundation business. The Foundation took the case to the High Court. After winning in the High Court, the Court of Appeal overturned the decision, and the appeal was upheld in the Supreme Court in July. No further appeal is possible. There is no immediate effect to the value of the site or to the estate's cashflow. Eventually, the decision will affect rental income and value growth.
"The Six Pack Two"
The launch of New Zealand Book Month and "The Six Pack Two" book on 2 September marked a milestone for the Foundation. For the first time in New Zealand history, a book was released in braille, audio, large print and electronic text at the same time as its standard print release. This was possible because the organisers of NZ Book Month provided an electronic file of the book to the Foundation at the same time it was sent to their publishers. Thanks to this cooperation and digital technology, the publishing process was easy and ensured that blind, deafblind and vision-impaired people had access to
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"The Six Pack Two" at the same time as sighted people. "The Six Pack Two" is a collection of short stories by six NZ writers.
BurgerFuel leads the way!
BurgerFuel stores can now provide customers with a menu in braille, thanks to the initiative of their marketing manager, Aaron Carson. Aaron contacted the Foundation directly to ask for their menu to be transcribed and the order was completed to perfection. Now you can take your friends to BurgerFuel anywhere in New Zealand and ask for the braille copy of their menu. A big 'thumbs up' to BurgerFuel!
Funky Eye Friday
This year's most creative and colourful entries in the Foundation's annual Funky Eye Friday eyewear competition came from Whakatane, Gisborne, Rototuna in Hamilton and Pakuranga in Auckland. There were a record number of entries - almost 1,000 - and the judges were impressed at the calibre of eyewear that was submitted. Winning designs included bats, snails, leaves and flowers, made using a range of materials including paint, feathers, fabric and sequins. Funky Eye Friday is held each September to raise awareness about eye health and safety and encourage primary school students to create the craziest, most imaginative eyewear they can.
Jean Hendry turns 100
Happy Birthday to Jean Hendry, a Foundation member and donor, who turns 100 this Boxing Day (26 December). Miss Hendry has a long association with the Foundation. She was on the Dunedin Community Committee, and has been a member of the Foundation since 1992 and a donor for many years.
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Prior to that, Miss Hendry was a valued member of staff at Otago Girls High School. As Music Teacher and Deputy Principal, she used to organise the traditional 'Celebration Service', an annual event held to commemorate Christmas and farewell the seventh form girls. It's now regarded as a highlight of the school year.
Braille Music Week at BLENNZ
Twenty youth members enjoyed a week of braille music in October, conducted by tutors, many of whom were blind or vision-impaired. Each day for seven hours a day, students participated in braille music or music theory lessons, followed by choir rehearsals. There was also the opportunity to join other performance groups, such as band, a cappella, or ensemble, and an informal concert was held each evening. As well as improving their musical abilities, Braille Music Week allowed participants to build their independence, self-esteem, teamwork and social skills. The course, which was organised by the Blind and Low Vision Education Network NZ and supported by the Foundation, concluded with a public concert to showcase the students' work.
Twelve-month countdown to Louis Braille's 200th birthday!
January 4, 2009 marks the 200th anniversary of Louis Braille's birth. With celebrations and an international conference already planned in Paris, the World Blind Union is calling on blind organisations across the globe to help commemorate Braille's heritage by planning their own regional events.
In response, the Foundation has approached NZ Post to include Louis Braille on a NZ postage stamp. We've also advocated the inclusion of "Louis" and "Braille" as street names in developments and redevelopments around New Zealand.
Louis Braille was born in 1809 and lost his sight at age three, after an accident in his father's workshop. He developed his unique and universally adopted system of reading and writing at 15. Louis died in 1852, at the age of 43, two years before his code was officially adopted.