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THE SECOND TRIENNIAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE BLIND MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, JULY, 1908 (1)

IMPRESSIONS FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE ATLANTIC

AN AMERICAN REVIEW

BY LUCY WRIGHT
Superintendent Registration and Information Department
Massachusetts Commission for the Blind

THE Second Triennial International Conference on the Blind, at Manchester, naturally reflected British work more than any other. Of other nations Japan was, most characteristically, represented by an official sent by the government to look into the whole matter of education of the blind in Europe and America. He gave a brilliant summary of the position of the blind in Japan from the year 858 to today, and faced their present problem, under modern conditions of competition, with inspiring frankness. "Sighted people," he says, "are now obliged to invade the occupations hitherto monopolized by the blind. . . .We shall have to give them, whenever possible, more education than the sighted are receiving, in order to make up for the drawbacks caused by blindness, such as slowness in work, etc.. . .We shall have to help introduce the blind to society as capable people, in order to help them in getting rid of unjust prejudices, . . .and when such introductions have no influence in overcoming those prejudices which have existed and always will exist, we shall have to help them materially in providing work for them. . . .In one word, we shall have to give them all equal advantages with the sighted, not more and never less."

Work in France was summarized in a paper by Mlle. Chevenin, of the Valentin Hauy Association. She emphasized the musical career as most profitable for the blind, massage as suited to a few of the well qualified. For the workshops she had little that is encouraging to say from the economic point of view, laying stress upon the need of subsidizing the ordinary shop either by public or private charity. Her account of the Valentin Hauy Association outlined a form of organization much needed today in work for the blind, although for us the use of general social and relief agencies is undoubtedly better than to create special relief work for the blind as a branch of such an organization.

Workers from the United States were scheduled for one paper and to open two discussions. Mr. Green was not present, but his paper was read, and New York and Massachusetts workers shared in the discussion at various sessions.

Dr. Fraser, of Halifax, contributed a practical paper on "Commercial Training of the Blind in Canada," seeming as always to speak out of a real understanding of the lives of the blind in the world outside institutions.

To return to the work of Great Britain, Ireland's session was a frank admission of the neglected condition of many of the blind there and an appeal to the conference to take steps to gain relief from the government. Work for the blind in England itself appears thoroughly institutional, based very largely upon charitable foundations and most substantial in its results, as schools, shops, exhibits, and reports bear evilness. Pensions and the augmenting of wages are accepted as necessary conditions. In fact, a session was given up to the discussion of pensions, and there are for England and Wales fifty pension agencies for their blind population of 25,317, aiding between five and six thousand pensioners. Emphasis in many of these matters is no doubt more marked because of different social conditions, concentrated population, etc., and we could not find close parallels in method for handling the problem of our smaller and more scattered blind population. In general, the impression in England is of a vast number of agencies producing many substantial results in educational and industrial fields of work for the blind, given some unity through the more general organizations, Gardner's Trust and the British and Foreign Blind Association, but, on the whole, involving a more or less competitive system, presenting uneven advantages, and overemphasizing institutional methods. That this impression is true is borne out by some of the more recent moves toward union and coordination, which, with the subject of prevention, were the signs of progress in work for the blind reflected in this conference. The formation of several Unions of All Agencies for the Blind for different sections of England was reported; a report made on the coordination of London workshops; and in the discussion of pensions, a plan suggested for cooperation among pension agencies.

Prevention of blindness had been covered on the program, under a paper by Mr. Ritchie on "Psychology of Blindness and Care of Blind Infants." The subject was, however, referred to further by presiding officers and in discussion and an additional paper introduced by Miss Holt, of New York, on "Preventable Blindness?' Mr. Ritchie's paper, though brief, called very forcibly for action in the direction of prevention of blindness from ophthalmia neonatorum. He quoted Dr. Harman's figure of forty per cent of blindness as due to this trouble, and stated that in Great Britain "no word of all the sympathetic emotion expressed has yet been crystallized into anything more definite than the dissemination of cautionary leaflets." Miss Holt's paper emphasized the efforts of doctors alone as insufficient; told of the work of the New York Association, which this year is to spend $5,000 in pursuing its investigations and preventive efforts in this line; and submitted a comprehensive outline of what most be done, in different directions, for the prevention of blindness, at all ages and from various causes.