Members of CDXVIIC help the visually impaired
Colonial Dames 17th Century Honorary State President Linda Vandenberg White, who served as state president for 2019-2021, recently gifted London Ledbetter with a Braille flag.
The Braille Flag Project was one of White’s state projects during her term and was “immensely successful,” a news release said. The four chapters in the state made over 350 flags to be given to the Arkansas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, blind veterans and others who are visually impaired.
The flags are dimensional, enabling the visually impaired “to see” the stars and the stripes. The Braille flag is a fully tactile graphic that aids the blind in denoting the orientation, and colors of the American flag’s stripes, stars and blue field, the release said.
“I learned how to make Braille flags over 30 years ago. As a deaf and blind instructor, I was familiar with Braille flags. Usually, retail Braille flags kits are expensive. Braille employs tactile learning and are often sown onto a piece of fabric using a very tight zigzag stitch outlining the Stars and Stripes,” White said in the release.
“We received a grant from the Hot Springs Area Foundation to pay for most of the supplies. This method costs about $1 per flag to construct. I feel this is an important project because it introduces Braille flags and various instruction methods for visually impaired people. Many people are interested in how handicapped persons learn. This workshop humanizes visually impaired persons especially to young people who may not have been exposed to various handicapping situations. The recipient appreciates the endeavors of the project and benefits both the recipient and the flag maker. I have given probably 50 Braille flag workshops to various groups, such as the Girl Scouts,” she said.
London attends Fountain Lake Middle School and navigates the campus confidently using her white cane. She requested extra flags to give to others, including her teachers.
Among the objectives of CDXVIIC are education and patriotism. Arkansas fulfilled these two objectives with the Braille Flag Project and was recognized by the national society.