Red Cross Institute for the Blind Si DDIT10NAL copies of this pamphlet may be obtained without charge upon application to the Red Cross Institute for the Blind, Cold Spring Road, Guil- ford, Baltimore, Md. The Committee of Direction of the Institute, as appointed by the Red Cross War Council, is made up of W. J. Hiss, chairman; Col. C. H. Connor, vice-chairman; Lieut -Col. James C. Bordley, director; James P. Munroe; M. C. Migel; Lieut.-Col. Casey A. Wood; and Dr. Henry Wtreman Cook. THE RED CROSS INSTITUTE The RedCross Institute for the Blind I. ECONOMIC SUPERVISION OK THE RETURNED BLINDED SAILORS, SOLDIERS, AND MARINES THE purpose of the Red Cross Institute for the Blind is to supply the necessary economic and social supervision of blinded marines, sailors, and soldiers, after their discharge from military ser- vice. It was organized at the request of the Surgeon General of the Army to supplement the training to be given at the Military Training School for the Blind. The Institute will work in conjunction with the Sur- geons General of the Army and Navy and is, therefore, a national activity of the American Red Cross. This work will begin as soon as a sailor, soldier, or marine who has lost his sight, returns. His past life will be studied in order to ascertain his previous occu- pation, his stability as a workman, his former wages, his moral career, his social environment both before and after his entrance into the Army or the Navy and that to which he must return, his military or naval record, and the occupational possibilities of his home community. As he passes through the Military Train- ing School his progress and characteristics will be noted. The closest possible cooperation will be main- tained between the directors of the Military Training School and the Red Cross Institute, so that when a soldier or sailor has been fitted to go back into civil life he will be helped to establish himself, with the greatest possible expedition, in his new field of endeavor. Ill THE RED CROSS INSTITUTE THE RED CROSS INSTITUTE II. OCCUPATIONAL POSSIBILITIES It is of the utmost importance that a scientific study be made of occupational possibilities for the blind in industry, commerce, and agriculture by a well- qualified commission. The present wages of the aver- age blind man are deplorably low. New fields must be explored and new occupations discovered in order to help the blind to become self-supporting wage earners. The finding of new opportunities for the employ- ment of the blind is only the first step in solving the problem. In some instances there are processes in factories which would be immediately available to the blind if special devices were arranged for the machines as is being done for men who are handicapped in other ways than by blindness. These devices decrease danger and increase efficiency, two of the stumbling blocks in the employment of the blind. Having found and tested these processes, classes will be arranged at the Military Training School so that a man, who can be fitted to make use of such an opportunity, can learn how to do the work before he goes to a factory. After the process has been found and tested and the blind man trained to do the work, the last, and in some ways the most difficult problem, is to find an opening for him in a factory. To make this link in the chain as strong as the others, a manufacturers' commission is being formed, the personnel of which is to be drawn from among large manufacturers. This Commission will cooperate with the National Manufacturers' Asso- ciation and other organized bodies of manufacturers. [ 3 1 THE RED CROSS INSTITUTE Firsl blind soldier and sailor to be admitted h Military Training School in Baltimore, Md. The world is filled with people having limitations, and yet almost all could be of true economic value to themselves and the community if the right niche were found for them. While it may appear that a blind man is too greatly handicapped to be employed in factories side by side with those who see, it is nevertheless an [4] THE RED CROSS INSTITUTE encouraging fact that blind men are today doing this very thing. The average business man stands in awe of a blind man and is afraid to employ him because if the man fails to "make good" he "would hate to discharge him." The Institute will, therefore, not only place the man, but, if he proves inefficient, it will itself remove him, thereby relieving the employer of all embarrassment. The Institute does not believe in employing the blind on a charity basis. It should be strictly a business transaction. III. TYPES OF EMPLOYMENT Blind workers may be divided into five classes: those who can work in shops with the seeing, in shops maintained for the blind, in commercial enterprises, in agricultural pursuits, and those who can work only at home. Whenever possible, the Institute intends to assist the man to find an opening either in his old occupation or some closely allied work. In this way, experience acquired before the loss of sight will be capitalized. If this procedure is impossible, the man will be advised to take the course at the Military Training School which seems to promise the largest measure of future success. The plan for those who can work in factories for the seeing has already been described. For those who have not the mental or physical stability to go to such a factory, small shops for the blind will be estab- lished, or satisfactory arrangements made with exist- ing workshops for the blind. Those who can work to best advantage in commerce will be found employ- 151 THE RED CROSS INSTITUTE Headquarters {General Hospital No. 7) Military Training School for the Blind. "Evergreen" Baltimore, Md. ment by the Industrial Commission of the Institute. Where agriculture is to be the source of a man's in- come, the education given him at the Military Train- ing School will be supplemented by an intensive course at an Agricultural College or by apprenticeship upon a farm. If a man is suffering from injuries in addition to blindness and it is not practical for him to receive instruction at the Military Training School the Insti- tute will endeavor to make arrangements for him to receive whatever instruction is possible in his own home and also help him to find employment there. One of the greatest difficulties which confronts small 16] THE RED CROSS INSTITUTE workshops for the blind and blind home workers is the securing of raw material at the best wholesale rates, and the finding of a market for the finished product. The Institute proposes to act as the purchasing and sales agent for this group of workers. IV. PROVISION FOR PROFESSIONALLY TRAINED MEN Those men who, prior to their enrollment in the Army or Navy, were attending technical schools or colleges preparatory to entering some profession will be given an opportunity to continue their studies 17] THE RED CROSS INSTITUTE where such a course seems practical. These men will need assistance in the reading of their text-books and such readers will be provided. The Institute will ren- der assistance to these men in helping them to find employment after graduation. « Totally blind workman employed in one of the assembly departments of the Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company (Delco), Dayton, Ohio [81 THE RED CROSS INSTITUTE Blind soldiers enjoying themselves at St. Dunstan's. The eards are regular playing cards marked with raised characters which can be read by touch V. BOOKS FOR THE BLIND For all of the blinded soldiers, sailors, and marines embossed books will be necessary. These will be in the form of technical and current literature. Fortu- nately, the English-speaking world has agreed upon a single dot system of reading and writing to take the place of the several codes that have been in use in this country and abroad. As this agreement has only re- cently been reached there is a very limited supply of reading matter for the blind in the uniform system. This means many books will have to be printed. The Institute will cooperate with the Commission on Uni- form Type and the Matilda Ziegler Magazine for the [9] THE RKD CROSS INSTITUTE Partially blind man "stripping 1 items from tobacco leaves in the Daylight Cigar Factory, Baltimore, Maryland. The man does not have enough vision to aid him in his work. He is crippled as well as blind Blind, the most widely read publication of current lit- erature printed in embossed type in this country, to stimulate the production and distribution of reading matter for the blind. Blind men soon become despon- dent if they are not fully occupied. Nothing lessens the chances of this despondency more than books and magazines printed in their 'own language'. [10] THE RED CROSS INSTITUTE VI, COOPERATION BY FAMILIES OF THE BLIND One of the most potent factors in the failure of many blind men is the lack of appreciation of their difficulties Blind operative assembling farm lighter cores in the factory of the Robbins and Myers Company, Springfield, Ohio. The sense of touch enables this man to throw out faulty disks even faster than a man with sight [Hi THE RET) C ROSS INSTITUTE A blind man, who has lost both hands, knitting at the American, British, French, and Belgian Permanent Blind Relief War Fund's American Practical Knitting School in France and mistaken sympathy on the part of their families. It is essential to provide against this obstacle to future success. The Red Cross Institute for the Blind is, therefore, making preparations to open a cottage for [ 12] THE RED CROSS INSTITUTE Blinded soldiers receiving instruction in poultry raising at Ht. Dunstan's. London, England the relatives of the blind in Baltimore, the seat of the Military Training School for the Blind. Toward the end of the course of instruction if there is any member of the family of the soldier or sailor such as a wife, child, or other relative who can be of assistance to him in carrying on his future trade or profession, she will be invited to come to the Institute cottage, if neces- sary without any expense to herself, and given practi- cal instruction in how best to assist the blind man, not only in the details of the man's trade or profession, but in the best ways of assisting a blind man at home. Where a blind man is married and is unable himself, through serious disability, to work, his wife will be taught some vocation from which she can add to the [13] THE RED CROSS INSTITUTE No ^ Nem THE CHASE H Payto the ordeh of _RED_CR0S3._INSTI. „ < ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND and NO/100 - ,|l ' i ;s , 'I ■ PAYABLE THROUGH NEW YORK CLEARING HOUSE. Is § $AQOj00o Ji po_ family income. The effort will be made to assist the family where the man was formerly a salesman, store- keeper, etc., and must work only at home, but pre- sumably can command the trade of a fair proportion of his old customers. The first difficulty that will be experienced by the average individual upon leaving the Government Training School and starting his life work, will be to provide himself with the tools and materials of his trade. The Institute will provide such essentials through some fair arrangement. VII. ADVANTAGEOUS LOCATION OF THE INSTITUTE That the Institute workers may be trained under the best environment, the Institute will take as its headquarters a house on the Military Reservation now [14] THE RED CROSS INSTITUTE R O A D WAY TUTE F OR TH E pitTWD, - - - ■ , - -- - - -- -- - - - - - DOLLARS Permanent Blind Relief War Fund occupied by the Military Training School. The great advantages accruing from the arrangement are: 1. The blind men will immediately become ac- quainted with the work of the Institute. 2. There can be maintained in a quiet place a read- ing room for the blind. (The librarian of the reading room for the blind of the Library of Congress has volunteered her services as librarian.) 3. It will enable the Red Cross Institute to carry out its plans for the instruction of its district workers who have volunteered assistance in the re-education of the blind. Thus the Institute cooperating with the Military Training School will bring together the sailors, soldiers, marines, military teachers, and volun- teer workers. In other words, there will be no hiatus between the school life and occupational employment HON. TREASURER LJ h.sl THE RED CROSS INSTITUTE of the men to be bridged over by people unfamiliar with the one or the other. All of these plans have met with the most cordial support of the Surgeon General's office. The "American, British, French, and Belgian Per- manent Blind Relief War Fund for Soldiers and Sail- ors" has contributed $100,000 to the work of the Red Cross Institute for the Blind. This money was given from the highest patriotic motive. The Institute has the assurance of this splendid organization, which has done so much for the blind of Great Britain, France, and Belgium, that it intends to be an annual contrib- utor. The Federal Board for Vocational Education has been authorized by Congress to industrially place — and where necessary re-educate — the disabled soldiers after their discharge by the Army. The Red Cross Institute for the Blind will cooperate with the Federal Board and render such assistance as is requested. 1 16]