This past week, I had the opportunity to spend five days volunteering at a school for the visually impaired, called Nethra Vidyalaya (nethra meaning “eyes” and vidyalaya meaning “school”). I chose to volunteer here for a few reasons including my interest in an organization called VT Seva, a non-profit organization that promotes community service in all sectors of society, and my affiliation with Delta Phi Omega Sorority, Inc. at Boston University. Our philanthropy is children’s literacy and we had our Literacy Week at the same time that I volunteered here in India so I was happy it worked out that way.
On my first day, the principal of the school led me to a classroom, briefly introduced me and then left. What was I going to do next? I had never taught a class, had no instructions on what to teach, and did not know what the students expected me to do. So I just winged it and started a conversation with them about what they were studying and then they asked me questions about what it was like to live in Boston. I had a lot of fun talking to them about things like student life, holidays, favorite foods, places to visit, and cultural differences. They were very welcoming and within five minutes, I felt as if I had made fifteen new friends.
The students are well versed in the Braille system and can confidently write any phrase given to them. They each have their own laptop and can type using a software that reads aloud text, so they don't need scribes. I had the opportunity to dictate a few inspirational quotes for the students to write in Braille. These quotes would be put up on the classroom walls so that they could read them every now and then to pick up their spirits. I was very impressed with their abilities and their independence. I think one of their best traits is that they realize that what they can do is a strength, not a weakness.
