(by Sammy Jones, MKCitizen, 09 October 2018)
Buckinghamshire Freemason’s came together this summer to raise funds to provide a little boy from Milton Keynes with a braille machine. Dexter Ward, from Bletchley, suffers from a rare condition called infantile glaucoma, which has caused him to lose almost all his sight. Bucks Freemason’s stepped in when both the NHS and the RNIB stated that they were unable to provide a braille machine on loan until Dexter reaches five years of age. By this time, Dexter is expected to be completely blind, making the teaching more difficult. In order to raise the funds required, Bucks Freemasons ran a coffee morning at Newton Longville Free Church Hall, inviting all members of the Buckinghamshire Freemasons. The well-attended event raised £3700, from members of the Masons, Winslow Lions and Church representatives, which surpassed the target, allowing Dexter’s family to purchase a Tiger Cub braille embosser and will enable him to use it into his teenage years and beyond. The Braille embosser has now been purchased and is being used to print braille books by Dexter’s parents. “I was astonished and delighted by the turnout and funds raised for Dexter,” said Mrs Ward.
“The machine allows us to convert books to braille, including Dexter’s favourite Mr Men books. We type the words into the braille software which then converts it into the dots and then feed a clear sheet of acetate into the embosser which punches the braille…
