The Harry Potter Alliance

By Heather Huston

July 31, 2009

Inspiring HP Fans

We here at the HP Alliance know that the Harry Potter Series is more than just a “fun” read, they make a statement and raise awareness on countless issues that pertain to the Muggle world we live in.  So beginning today we will be bringing to light, via the blog, HP fans who are inspired by the series to effect change in the world around them.

This letter was written to JK Rowling by a missionary who paid a visit to disabled children in Jamaica and was humbled by what he saw.  I’m in awe.

Dear Mrs. Rowling,

My name is Dwight Sayer and I am a 59 year old blind veteran.  I have fallen in love with  a desperately needy blind school in Kingston, Jamaica that serves children from 4 years old to 16 years old.  I became acquainted with this school through a young man I mentored here in the USA a couple of years ago.  As I was mentoring this young man he would tell me stories of the blind school he graduated from in Jamaica. This past June he and I made a mission team trip to the school to deliver a check from bake sales at our church and to bring some access technology equipment he and I received from various donors here in Florida.

I had no idea how humbling this trip would be. These children are  residents at the school 10 months a year and the school is eking out an education to these children on a budget that is meager to say the least. I witnessed closets in 8 children dorm rooms that did not have enough clothing to cover one child.  I witnessed  study rooms with no study equipment. I witnessed bathrooms missing sinks and showers that had no means of privacy.  I witnessed TV rooms with many rickety chairs and one mini TV that would not allow more than 3 children pressing their noses to the screen.  I witnessed children getting no blindness skills training or mobility training. I witnessed Braille classes without slates , styluses or braillers.  I witnessed one child playing with his favorite old car tire bouncing off the walls.  I know with a little help that a major difference can be made in their lives, and they could receive a quality education and perhaps one day be productive, self motivated, and live on a level of equality among their sighted peers.

I am writing to you today to seek your assistance in my struggle to find help for this incredibly needy school and its blind, deaf blind, and multiply disabled children.  These children deserve a chance at a life that is not dependent on the kindness of others, and the only way this will happen is if we can train them well and prepare them for a life of high expectations.  I know that with the proper training and attitude, that blindness can be reduced to a mere inconvenience and these children deserve that chance.  I would love the opportunity to discuss this school with you and  perhaps figure out a way to make a difference in the lives of these children.

God Bless!

Dwight D. Sayer
Blind Missions Team Leader
St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church