Merry Xmas 2020
Dear Member / Friend,
This year has been a very difficult one for everybody, but most so for the blind/visually impaired persons. Many refrained from attending the Day Centre and many were unable to be taken out for a walk or sit on their porch and talk to all passers by. All had to wear the mask which made it so much painful. And we had to live with the thought that the risk for us to get the virus because of our intrinsic vulnerability was at a high rating. The Society had to refrain from organizing get together groups, outings, the Annual General Meeting and above all had to cancel the Christmas/New Year buffet lunch.
The committee has been busy in making contacts with many of you and assisting you where at all possible; giving advice and getting talking gadgets from UK for all but especially newly blind persons, etc.
We had to boost your morale somehow this Christmas. We are therefore organizing a raffle with so many gifts for the winners. This will help us to renew our contacts and get to talking with each other again. It will unite us again as a group who believe in giving support to each other, whoever you are and whatever the disability that you have.
So we encourage you to join in and participate, speak to your friends and share your love with each other.
At the same time we remind you to please not forget to renew your membership.
You will get two raffle tickets for your Eur 10 membership. You can get more tickets for your self or for your friends at Eur 5 each.
You can find more information in our Raffle post.
We take this opportunity to give you our love and a big hug for Christmas.
Yours sincerely,
The Committee,
The Malta Society of the Blind.
Malta Society of the Blind - Xmas Raffle
The Malta Society of the Blind will have a New Year's Raffle for their members as well as families and friends of members.
What is in the raffle?
| 1 Espresso machine | | 6 Mini pandoro |
| 1 Toaster | | 4 Mini pandoro |
| 1 Cup level indicator
|
| 1 Paper money detector
|
| 1 Cup level indicator | | 1 Women’s watch
|
| 1 Cup level indicator | | 1 Man’s watch
|
| 4 Mulled wine
|
| 1 Man’s watch |
| 5 Proseco/Spumante
|
| 10 Mini Panettone
|
| 4 Proseco/Spumante | | 8 Mini Panettone |
| 4 Gluten free Pandoro
|
| 6 Gluten free Pandoro
|
| 6 Marrons Glaces
|
| 3 Assorted toffee jars
|
| 1 Christmas tin set
|
| 4 pkts Farsons soft drinks
|
| €40 Car petrol/diesel
|
| 1 Chivas Rigal whisky
|
| €30 Car petrol/diesel | | 2 Wine bottles
|
| €30 Car petrol/diesel | | 2 Wine bottles
|
| €30 Car petrol/diesel | | 2 Wine bottles
|
What are the conditions?
The conditions are as follows:
- Those who pay the EUR 10.00 fee for a new or renewed membership will receive two (2) tickets for the raffle.
- Additional tickets can be bought by members and non-members for EUR 5.00 per ticket.
- The raffle will be until 15th January 2021.
- Fees for membership and tickets are to be paid by cheque to
Malta Society of the Blind
81 Brighella Street
Santa Venera SVR 1135 - Persons need to phone Ms Grace Tirchett at +356 21665247 after sending in the cheque in order to be given/select their tickets.
Please note that tickets will not be sent out by mail, just registered with Ms Grace Tirchett.
Your Support for a Vision in the Dark
Support us. For a vision in the dark.
Your support for blind/visually impaired children and grown-ups will help numerous children and grown-ups with sight loss in Malta to have a vision in their rather dark lives.
They need help, because their daily activities are often restricted. And also because assistive tools are expensive and not easily affordable for these persons in need.
You can help to make their lives more autonomous, livable, and joyful by supporting the Malta Society of the Blind.
The Malta Society for the Blind provides solutions and fights for the rights of blind/visually impaired persons for accessibility to all aspects of life, including education, work and society nationally and in partnership with European and international organizations.
Be a partner in this initiative. With your help, blind and visually impaired persons will get a voice for their needs; so your support will also help to equip kindergartens, schools, workplaces, and a number of individuals with highly needed, yet expensive assistive technology and specifically trained professionals.
Thank you for your consideration to share our vision.
The Malta Society for the Blind
How to support?
or
81 Brighella Street
Santa Venera SVR 1135
Malta
or
3. Send an SMS to (Malta only)- 50617360 : €2.33
- 50618907 : €6.99
- 50619207 : €11.65
White Cane Day Celebration 2020
White Cane Day 2020 is different...
Talk instead of Walk.
We do not see the White Cane Day walk this year, but its message is nevertheless present.
For many years, the Malta Society of the Blind (MSB) together with the Malta Guide Dog Foundation (MGDF), which was founded by the Malta Society for the Blind (MSB), the Gozo Aid for the Visually Impaired (GAVI) and the Torball Society for the Blind, organized a walk through Valletta's Republic Street. A group of visually impaired persons walking with their white canes or guide dogs to mark the International White Cane Day, aimed to create more public awareness for the obstacles blind or partially sighted people are facing in their daily life and striving for more solutions to improve accessibility, integration and inclusion.
This is not only about more accessible infrastructure, which already saw some improvements over the last years, but it is also about understanding, acceptance and integration of VIP (Visually Impaired People) in social, educational and work environments.
This in mind, the two organizations, while constantly asking the authorities to provide solutions, give their advice in solution finding processes, and provide training in independent living skills including household tasks and inner city maneuvering.
This year, as gathering for the annual White Cane Day walk is not possible, MSB and MGDF want to take another route to and reach out and encourage more people to seek advice and learn skills for independent living.
Talk about White Cane
And Orientation & Mobility (O&M) Training
During the O&M training, a professional O&M trainer will teach the blind or visually impaired various techniques to safely and independently orient themselves and move/travel around.
Learning to use the white cane is one aspect of the training.
One of MSB's members, who asked for this training, will - coincidentally - have her first lesson in the week of the White Cane Day. She would like to share her experience and impressions in an (audio) blog to help others to learn more about this kind of training and overcome potential hesitation to ask and learn new skills.
Find the introduction (audio) post on SoundCloud (https://soundcloud.com/jutta-miroiu-dunker/sets/)
or on the Malta Society of the Blind Facebook page.