By Maia Scott and Gina di Grazia

We had so much fun during our first-ever National Card and Letter Writing Month event last April.

On April 11 and 18 at LightHouse HQ, card, letter-writing and art lovers converged for a fun and functional exploration of adaptive and artistic ways to connect with loved ones through the good ol’ US Postal Service.

Maia Scott, Adult Program Coordinator, and Gina di Grazia, Low Vision Therapist and Orientation & Mobility Specialist co-led the group, supported by the Adult Program and Independent Living Services Departments. Divina Carlson, Braille Instructor, Verna Huang, Program Coordinator, and Dawn Leeflang, Director of Independent Living Services were on hand to support the participants as well.

The usual card and letter writing supplies were on hand, but there were art supplies and adaptive writing tools covering the tables to allow creativity to flourish.

What tips and tricks were tried for gorgeous cards and letters you ask?  Some tried bold line pens, high contrast colored art pens, large print writing, high contrast thick line paper, dark and light papers and card stock, envelope and letter writing guides, raised line paint pens, tactile adhesive jewels, LightHouse-designed large print and tactile greeting cards, and Braille for tactile art designs and writing those special messages!

The participants made new connections and enjoyed meeting fellow letter writing and mail art lovers, chatted about the history of postal mail (and discussed why the U.S. Postal Service doesn’t have a Braille stamp yet (like so many other countries do) letter writing, and the many ways to send postal mail. They walked away with some of the above-mentioned letter writing adaptive supplies thanks to the generous SCAN Health Plan Community Giving, Older Individuals who are Blind (OIB), and AB2480 grants.

Are you feeling inspired? It’s not too late to go analog to send some postal mail. Here are some simple ideas to get you going:

• Place a rubber band around a clipboard or hardcover book and slide your envelope under it to help write the first line of your address without slanting.
• A quarter sheet of cardstock featuring one word boldly and beautifully written can make a momentous postcard.
• Use dot or rhinestone stickers to spell out a sentiment in Braille on the front of a DIY card then print out the Braille alphabet to include if the recipient doesn’t know Braille.
• Use items found at home such as cardboard, bubble wrap, cereal bags and crinkled foil as collage materials to create tactile cards for any occasion.

We hope to share similar events throughout the year thanks to the fun, functional, and fantastic participation by all in the Card and Letter Writing event! Key an eye on the LightHouse Calendar to plan your next fantastic and functional fun event.