Life Enrichment
TelecomPioneers have a special dedication for senior citizens and people with disabilities. Making a difference in people’s lives is something we are passionate about. Life enrichment projects include building wheelchair ramps and educating seniors on modern technology.
Enriching the lives of the visually impaired is a Pioneer legacy. Using recycled telephone parts, TelecomPioneers invented Beeping Easter Eggs. Pioneers build the eggs, which are then used in Easter Egg hunts for visually impaired children around North America, including a hunt on the White House lawn.
This technology was originally invented to create Beep Baseball. A Mountain Bell Employee named Charlie Fairbanks modified a regulation size softball so that it would emit beeping sounds. Now the blind and visually impaired can participate in America’s greatest sport.
Talking Book repair is another special project Telephone Pioneers of America focus on. Through the Library of Congress, The National Library Service (NLS) uses the Talking Books Program to assist people who are unable to read standard print material due to visual and/or physical impairments.
NLS provides Braille and recorded books and magazines that can be borrowed, free of charge, or delivered by postage-free mail to those in need. Our volunteers help NLS and their patrons by repairing and refurbishing the equipment used in the Talking Book Program.