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one ever taught me to write journal entries or papers. Most college kids learned it in middle and high school. My teachers did not teach that to me because they did not think I would go to college. You should learn how to write papers now so you are ready for college. I have faith in you to learn this younger so that college can be successful and easier for you. It is going to be a little hard for you because you have to ask for a lot of accommodations, and sometimes your braille teachers won’t know how to help you or how to use technology to teach you how to be successful for college. You should talk to other blind professionals who know how to use technology to be successful. You should talk to other blind students, too. You should go to the Colorado Center for the Blind when you are young—in middle school. I went there when I was in my senior year of high school. You should
go much younger and spend summers there during middle and high school. It is so much fun, and you will learn a lot. The braille teachers there are very helpful. They will teach you how to learn more contractions and the technology teacher will teach you to type. You’ll learn how to travel, how to cook, how to clean, how to manage your budget, and how to find a job. You’ll learn all these things from blind adults who are living this life, and living it very good! So remember, there are a lot of things that you can do. Keep trying and keep fighting and don’t listen when someone tells you that you can’t do something. You can! And you are confident. And in the year 2020, I was very confident, and you will be (in 2021), too! It will be your freshman year of college, and if you get the help you need from your teachers now, you will make it all the way through college!
Dear Cindy, You are an inspiring, strong, confident, and capable young woman. You should be so proud of your accomplishments! As the mother of a child with vision and hearing loss, I know well the struggles you have faced throughout your life. It is challenging to grow up in a very visual word without having the support needed to navigate it easily. Your perseverance throughout your earlier academic years has served you well and helped you become a strong and independent self-advocate. Knowing how to advocate for yourself is so important and it sounds like you have mastered that skill.
Sincerely, Jessica Chamness, Mother of an inspiring, strong, confident, and capable young man
GirlStoryMag.com • 2020-2021
It is wonderful to see that you are so positive and encouraging to your younger self. Having a positive attitude and strong determination to succeed will take you far in life. Knowing how to read and write braille is also a very valuable skill. It allows you to be able to learn and communicate with those around you. Being an accomplished braille reader and writer can also contribute to your ability to assist others who have vision loss. Your skills and abilities are valuable assets that can serve you well in the future. Continue to work hard and strive to do your best! You’ve already proven that you can accomplish so much and that is something to be proud of!
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