| Dear Colleagues:
Last night I attended the graduation ceremonies here at Overbrook, which
is always a very special event. The graduation speaker was a former Overbrook
student who had gone on to become a doctor and fifty years later was returning
to accept the distinguished alumni award. He shared with the graduates
a personal approach he has used for setting his goals and achieving them,
even in the face of great odds. His system seems to have worked!
The pride and self-confidence on the faces of the graduates and their
parents always give one a special feeling. Yet, as I looked at the faces
of those young people, some with significant additional disabilities,
and listened to them speak with enthusiasm and conviction of their dreams,
I could not help think of the 5 million visually impaired children in
other parts of the world who will never know the excitement of a graduation
day. This is a situation we cannot allow to continue!
Today, as many of us go about our daily work with children and youth with
visual impairment; access to education is something we take for granted.
After all, access to education is a basic human right! However, it is
a right that is denied to the vast majority of children and youth with
visual impairment. ICEVI is determined to change the status quo.
The task before us is not an easy one but the new "ICEVI EDUCATION
FOR ALL CAMPAIGN" is getting underway. We hope to engage educators,
parents, individuals with visual impairment and strategic allies throughout
the world in an organized and sustained effort to turn "Education
for All" from a phrase to reality for the millions of children with
visual impairment who now find a lock on the schoolhouse door.
While the initial fundraising target for our campaign are major schools
and agencies serving children with visual impairment, we hope that many
of you who regularly read The Educator will decide to become involved
by making a voluntary contribution.
Over the past several years ICEVI has grown substantially. Much of that
growth we owe to a small and dedicated group of generous international
partner organizations.
However, we cannot continue to rely on these longtime and loyal supporters
alone.
If you are an educator who shares our concern for children in the developing
world and are in a position to make a personal contribution to the "ICEVI
EDUCATION FOR ALL CAMPAIGN" I invite you to join me to send your
contribution. Let make equal access a reality for all children!
Enjoy this issue of The Educator and please give special attention the
"first announcement and call for papers" for our 12th World
Conference that accompanies this issue of The Educator.
Sincerely,
Larry Campbell
President
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