A Brief History
Some years ago, one Friday afternoon, I was waiting for a bus outside a school for visually impaired children, when a young woman arrived with a blind boy, and joined me on the narrow bench in the bus shelter. “Who are you?”, said the boy when he realised that someone was sitting next to him. I introduced myself (I worked at the school as a volunteer teacher of English), and asked what his name was. “I am Martin”, said the boy as he gently felt the straps on my travel bag. “You must be glad to be going home for the week-end”, Martin, I said to him. “No”, came the short reply. “Why not?” “Because when I go home, I have no one to play with”.
I have never forgotten those words, and ever since that day, I have made a special effort to make sure that the educational materials I designed for my work with blind children were not only effective teaching tools, but also attractive educational toys, providing entertainment for both blind and sighted school children. Each time I brought something into the classroom, I watched the children and waited for their verdict, as their little fingers, hungry for new discoveries, busily explored a new model, tactile drawing, game, lotto or a crossword puzzle.
Ever since the first, single samples of these materials were produced, I have been approached by parents and teachers about „a catalogue and a price list”. For someone with a solid background in education, the decision to set up a small, one-man „company” which would specialise in educational books, games and toys for visually impaired children, was not easy. However, Hungry Fingers is here and every effort will be made to ensure that the products it offers are not only of high educational value, but that they are entertaining and just as good as the name of the company, which I am very proud of.
Bogusław Marek
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