Ricardo Herrera is like many teenage boys. The 13-year-old Hilltop Middle School student does his homework, helps around the house and competes in tournaments. He experiments with audio equipment, learns computer codes to help him improve Internet applications and creates his own music and videos. In his spare time, he’s an aspiring musician, playing piano, keyboard, drums, violin and a bit of guitar with either his rock or jazz band. These are all pretty common activities, unless you’re a teen with visual impairments.
“Ricardo was one when an infection claimed his sight,” says Monica Meza Stuhler, Ricardo’s mother. “He is totally blind.” Over the years, his family has learned how best to support Ricardo, but Monica confesses that some things have changed since her son became a teenager.
“It was easier to be protective when Ricardo was younger, but now that he’s 13, he wants to do things his way,” Monica says.
“He’s fearless and doesn’t feel any limitations when he sets out to achieve his goals ... If he wants to ride a bike, I won’t tell him no. I run behind him, guide him and keep him safe. We find a way.”
Ricardo resides in Chula Vista with his mom, his stepfather Paul and his 9-year-old sister, Paulette.
“We live our lives like any other family,” says Monica. “We just make adjustments. Like when we go to the movies, we sit together and quietly tell Ricardo the story and share what’s happening on the screen.” Ricardo doesn’t want any special treatment because of his handicap.
“He wants to feel normal. He doesn’t expect to be first. He’ll wait his turn,” Monica says. “Often people don’t realize he is blind because of the prosthetic eye covering he wears. Sometimes that’s a problem because he doesn’t want to use his cane. Often the only time people recognize his limitation is when he’s using his cane.”
The Learning Curve
Ricardo’s first formal school experience started with the San Diego Unified School District’s Program for Students with Visual Impairments. A huge part of teaching students with vision impairments is instructing parents so they can support their student. With the help and guidance of teachers like Wendy Hardy, Monica was able to embrace a variety of learning methods and get Ricardo off to a strong academic start.
Hardy is the resource room teacher for elementary school students with visual impairments headquartered at Bay Park Elementary. For more than 25 years, she’s worked with sight-impaired and blind students and their parents to ensure they receive every opportunity to learn and achieve success. She encourages parents like Monica to learn the Braille code, basic math code and become familiar with technology like electronic notetakers with refreshable Braille pads and screen reading programs.
The Visually Impaired Resource Room program opened up a variety of appropriate reading media to meet Ricardo’s needs, including Braille, recorded books and tactile graphics.
“Reading literacy is so important for every child. With sighted children, parents should be reading to them each night. The same is true for a blind child. I encourage parents to start reading to their children at an early age,” Hardy says. “Nonfiction books are a good choice, because the child can learn to gather information from facts instead of pictures.”
Along with learning core curriculum, Ricardo met visually impaired adults from all walks of life.
“They are brought into the classroom to share their experience,” says Monica, “and offer real examples of how to live with the same disabilities. Those individuals were more confident in themselves and showed no limitations.”
Hardy, who teaches her K-5 students at their grade level, agrees. “The best thing with any child is to have the same expectations and treat them the same way. Introduce them to different activities, interests and sports and let them decide. For example, I believe children should be exposed to the water and know how to swim. Part of our summer curriculum includes swimming twice a week. We encourage the parents to come and watch their children swim. When the parents see the children succeeding, it relieves their anxiety.”
“What I found most useful is the orientation and mobility support the program offered,” adds Monica. “They included the development of safe travel skills through community-based activities. It’s a great way to show parents what their child can do with some adjustments to their needs.”
The summer school program includes fieldtrip outings like riding the train, ferry, trolley, gardening and fishing at Chollas Lake. Hardy has seen firsthand the value of these lessons taught outside the classroom and is working this semester to introduce blind students to the sport of outrigger canoeing.
“Hands-on learning is important for the students to understand and reinforce the concepts they come across as they read,” Hardy says. “It’s crucial to incorporate all the senses in the learning plan. You can describe a fishing rod and reel, but touching it is a more complete way to understand it. When you smell fish, feel the worms and hear the lake ripple, it pulls it all together.”
Technology’s Role
Ricardo and his family have employed many technological advancements designed to empower people with visual impairments. Products like electronic magnifiers to digital talking book players have a profoundly positive impact on the lives of visually impaired people of every age. Ricardo’s curious and driven nature has benefited him in becoming an expert with the many forms of accessible technology. He employs his iPad and iPhone VoiceOver programs to turn text into speech. He answers email and surfs the net using screen reader software.
Ricardo is a fierce competitor in the academic arena as well. Last year, he was one of the 60 top-scoring finalists to compete in the final round of the 2012 National Braille Challenge. This national academic competition for blind students encourages other blind and visually impaired students to seek their dreams. Last month, Ricardo placed second in the regional contest for 7th–9th graders. He’s waiting to learn if he will qualify to compete in the nationals again.
“I love to read, especially science fiction and fantasy. I’m always downloading books,” says Ricardo, who has more than 100 books downloaded to his iPhone. Two of his favorite sites are Bookshare and the National Library of Congress. “They have Braille books and audio books,” adds Monica. “You have to sign up and they will send the books to your home.”
In addition to being an avid reader, Ricardo is a budding novelist, too. “I just finished writing a science fiction/adventure story about me and a friend searching for a third friend who is taken away by the Gods.” On the personal website Ricardo created, friends and family can learn about his many projects including his music compositions, novels and other writings.
“We are always there to support Ricardo whatever his goals, interests and aspirations. We never set limits for him,” Monica says. “It’s not easy because you are living your own life, but you are living his life, too. You walk beside him. You have to be there.”
Read more about Ricardo when he Competed in the 2012 Braille Competition.
San Diego Resources:
Braille Institute, San Diego Center
San Diego Center for the Blind
San Diego Unified School District, Special Education
The Vision of Children Foundation
---------------
Claire Yezbak Fadden is an award-winning freelance writer and mother of three sons. Follow her on Twitter @claireflaire.
Published: March 2013
