Grant for Guiding Eyes for the Blind
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- November
- 25
The cutest guy in this picture here is Vinnie, but he’s with some good folks.
Vinnie is the guide dog for the gentleman in the middle, Jeffrey Pledger, a senior financial analyst for Verizon and vice president of Disabilities Issues Awareness Leaders at the company.
The Verizon Foundation recently gave a $12,500 to Guiding Eyes for the Blind in Yorktown Heights. Pictured here with Vinnie and Pledger are John Butler, Verizon’s director of community affairs, and William Badger, president of Guiding Eyes.
Here’s more from a Guiding Eyes release:
The Verizon grant supports development and improvements to the
existing technology lab.
Pledger is a Senior Financial Analyst and Vice President of DIAL
(Disabilities Issues Awareness Leaders) at Verizon, where he has worked
for 17 years. He is also a blind graduate of the January 2002 class at
Guiding Eyes for the Blind, where he returned today with yellow Labrador
Vinnie at his side. Pledger lost his sight suddenly in his late 20s.
The day was important for Pledger, who said “it has enormous meaning to
give back to my alma matter in a way that will truly help.”
Assistive technology is nothing new for Verizon, a company which has
been a leader in workplace accessibility for the disabled. The grant
will enable Guiding Eyes to purchase a Braille embosser, which creates
printed material for blind students to take home from class. The
contribution will also be used to purchase an audio-based learning
system for people who cannot read print.
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, November 25th, 2008 at 10:28 am by Laurel Babcock.
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