New Haven Independent

Gianini, who’s 17, was among the volunteers at the Connecticut Children’s Museum Friday morning packing “TEXTured Story Kits” for books — in his case, a book featuring the nursery rhyme “Baa Baa Black Sheep.”

The child who receives his story kit may not be able to see the words. But thanks to Jeffry and ten other blind and visually impaired students, he or she will be able to read and feel the story. Including the sheep’s wool. The recipients of the kits, like the people who packed them, are blind or visually impaired, too.

The volunteers came to the museum on Wall Street to help out with the story kits as part of the LIFE summer program, a project of the statewide Board of Education and Services for the Blind (BESB). The program seeks to provide participants with a community of learning, independence, friendship and ultimately employment. Over the summer the teenagers learn how to cook and navigate public transportation. These and other life lessons that might be “more challenging for them” because of their visual impairment said Kevin Butler, one of the summer counselors.

At the museum Friday, the teenagers learned another lesson: the importance of community service.

“The state guides their education, and this is part of [it]. Learning about other kids and working together” said Sandy Malmquist (pictured), director of the Connecticut Children’s Museum.

“They represent an older generation of the kids who might have benefited from the story boxes,” said Kevin Butler, and now “they can provide for younger visually impaired kids.”

“We will help children learn how to read,” said Maria Dadil (photo), 16. Dadil does a similar project at her school during the year, only the books those students pack are exclusively in large print while 40 of the 140 TEXTured story kits are hand brailed.

Malmquist described the TEXTured Story Kits as a kind of “Box of the Month” project. It brings 10 different book titles to life and promotes literacy for the blind and visually impaired students across the state who are enrolled in BESB’s program.

The TEXTured story kits for this month are for the nursery rhyme “Baa Baa Black Sheep” so the box includes props to go along with the story: three bags of real sheep’s wool, a sheep finger puppet, and three small dolls; one for the master, one for the dame and one for the little boy and/or girl who lives down the lane.

“We choose titles that lend themselves to authenticity,” Malmquist (pictured) added.

This project is “very important,” said Chris Palmieri, 14, “so blind people can see. It’ll make more sense to them because you’re using objects not pictures” he added.

This is the the third year teenagers from the LIFE program have helped put together the TEXTured Story Kits for young blind and visually impaired children.