Dear Editor,

I am writing on behalf of Donald Gibson. Donald is deaf/blind and a well known artist and sculptor. Donald is currently working on an entry for the 7th Helen Keller International Awards 'Challenging Perceptions of Deafblindness'.

Image: Only $300 more dollars is needed to get Donald's sculpture to Scotland.Dear Editor,

I am writing on behalf of Donald Gibson. Donald is deaf/blind and a well known artist and sculptor. Donald is currently working on an entry for the 7th Helen Keller International Awards 'Challenging Perceptions of Deafblindness'.

Image: Only $300 more dollars is needed to get Donald's sculpture to Scotland.Entries can be in any medium and many of the artists who enter are deaf/blind but not exclusively so. This is the first time that Donald has decided to enter such a prestigious international art competition. Donald has created his entry in his favourite medium Mt Somers stone, under the guidance of his longtime tutor Bon Suter. Donald has covered the cost of the stone but still needs to fundraise $300 to pay for the cost of shipping the sculpture to Scotland.

Donald lives independently and is an inspiration to those who know him. Donald lives a full and active life, when he's not sculpting he can often be seen walking along the beach or cycling on a tandem bike. He is well known at Burwood Hospital - Parafed where he frequents the gym and swimming pool and he has recently begun growing vegetables at the local community garden.

Communicating with other people is a daily challenge. Donald's sister Kathy explains, "Donald has Ushers Syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects the hearing and sight of individuals to different degrees. In Donald's case, he was born profoundly deaf and he has multiple eye conditions including retinitis pigmentosa, glaucoma and cataracts. His eyesight has deteriorated progressively since birth to the point where he is now blind."

Donald communicates with others using New Zealand Sign Language, but as his eyesight has worsened his capacity to read sign language has also diminished. "Donald has never been one to let a challenge get him down," says Kathy. "When his ability to communicate was threatened, Donald developed his own individualised method of hand-on-hand signing." Donald is reliant on deaf/blind communicators to assist him conversing with the many people in his life and his family plays a vital role in supporting his independent life style.

Despite the obvious challenges, Donald is determined to live life to the full and to continue to develop his skills as an artist. Entering the Heller Keller International Awards is just one way in which he is challenging himself to excel. An example of his art work can be seen in the attachment, a sculpture Donald made for the Van Asch Education Centre 125th Year Anniversary celebrations.

We are looking for a donation of $300 that would cover the shipping of Donald's entry to Scotland.

The sculpture will need to leave New Zealand no later than the end of July. Once in Scotland Donald's sculpture will be exhibited in the Collins Gallery, Glasgow alongside the other entries during the presentations in January 2007.

Please do not hesitate to contact me on the number below, If you require any further information.

Yours truly,

Jill Penn
Deaf/Blind Communicator/Guide.

03 382 4477 021 2697424.