Seeing Through her Disability

Mr. Pedro working one on one with Dayanara

Meet Dayanara  one of my students in 7th grade at Isla Bonita. Dayanara is visually impaired to the point where she can only see vague outlines of figures and some color in her right eye. Although she uses braille to read and write and is limited in her ability join in during some activities, she has the brightest spirit and loves to learn. When I met Dyanara, I was immediately impressed with her ability to name and recite all of the UNCW teachers and which classes they were in. 

Although Mr. Pedro and her other teachers try their best to accommodate her, she doesn't get the full attention that she needs to understand the lesson. Often times, she sits there fiddling with objects until a teacher comes back over. She is so capable of learning everything that the other students learn, but needs the one on one time. There simply aren't enough resources or specialists here that can tailor a lesson to fit her needs. 

Some of the work from my students on my American students' video

As part of my Full Circle project, I made a compilation of videos that my students sent me of their hobbies and interests. My goal was to show the video to my Belize students and have them write down the similarities and differences of life in America to life in Belize. They could also write a few sentences on what they wanted my American students to know about them. A few students wrote about how they can also go boating, play sports, and have math class. They were interested in our constant shark attacks, football, and snow in America. 

After showing the video, I had a sinking feeling as I realized that Dayanara couldn't see any of the videos that played on my small computer screen. As the students ran outside to begin their break, Dayanara stayed back and asked if I could explain to her what some of the hobbies were. She then asked if she could spend her break writing a letter to my students on her Braille machine. I joked about how none of them would be able to read it, which she then laughed saying, "No miss, you'll have to write in pen what I type!" My teacher heart melted as I handed her the machine and watched her get to work. 

I attached her work below and tried to enhance the lighting so that the braille is visible!