Guide Dogs' Staff To Help Braille Manly Beach With A Secret Message 1

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18th September 2009, 03:11pm - Views: 751





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MEDIA RELEASE



18 September 2009



Guide Dogs' staff to help braille Manly Beach with a secret message


Guide Dogs staff will be hoisting buckets and spades on Manly beach this Sunday

20 September, helping to create a secret braille message in the sand. Their efforts will

be in aid of the Braille on Manly Beach project, which aims to create a message 50

metres long on West Esplanade Beach.


Braille on Manly Beach is a world-first, braille sand-sculpture conceived by artist Anne

Walton and Braille advocate Bruce Maguire. The project is a Manly Arts Festival event

celebrating the Bicentennial of the birth of Louis Braille; the young French boy who

invented the Braille code. 


Disability Discrimination Commissioner Graeme Innes, and Chair of the Australian

Braille Authority Bruce Maguire, will unveil the meaning of the secret braille message,

as the tide begins to lap the giant dots at 6pm.


Guide Dogs Manager Ewa Borkowski says “It will be lots of fun creating the last of the

giant dots on the day and I’m looking forward to discovering what the secret message

is!”


“But there is a serious side to our involvement as well. Guide Dogs Instructors have

worked with more than 600 children with impaired vision in the last year. We wanted to

draw attention to the services that help these children become more independent and

confident. Braille literacy is a very important part of this” she continued.


Dennis Massoud, a well-known sand sculptor who has impaired vision, will direct

teams of volunteers in sculpting the message in sand. Each braille dot will be 1 metre

in diameter and half a metre high. It will take several teams of blind and sighted people

to create the giant message throughout the day. 


Guide Dogs provides its free services to children and adults with impaired vision,

teaching them a range of skills which enable them to travel more independently and

safely. Guide Dogs receives no government funding, instead relying on support from



ENDS


PHOTO / FILMING OPPORTUNITY: 

Date: Sunday 20 September


Time: Between 3-6pm




Location: West Esplanade Beach, (beside Manly Wharf)

Talent: The team from Guide Dogs NSW/ACT.

(One of the team is a Manly resident and Guide Dogs Instructor). 


MEDIA: For interviews contact Natasha Webb, Media Coordinator, 0413 753 241,

nwebb@guidedogs.com.au






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