It used to be… but were we sure?
Sylwia Ziarnik reflects on the topic of education for the visually impaired and blind, recalling her own time at school. We invite you to read.
“I have been a visually impaired person since birth. I come from a small town in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. So I was educated in a small rural primary school. At the time I started my education there were no assistive teachers. I had to cope on my own.
I was the only child with a disability in the whole school. The teachers didn't really know how to help me. The only thing I could count on were books with enlarged print. My classmates read to me from the blackboard what the teachers wrote on it.
The worst thing was that I had to rewrite my maths and physics books after school. While I was able to keep up with transcribing Polish at school, physics and maths were a problem. This resulted in my continued dislike of these subjects.
In high school it was the same but at least I listened to school lectures on cassettes. In primary school, my whole family was involved in reading lectionary. At least they were catching up.
Studying in Krakow was already a bit easier, i.e. it offered more opportunities. My colleagues were very empathetic, probably also because of the course. I was studying special education. I didn't have an assistant at the time but my friends were the best group assistants. To this day I am grateful to them for that. Studying was the most beautiful time of my life which has little to do with studying.
Currently pupils and students have it much easier. They can have a support teacher or a teaching assistant. Besides, more and more books are in audio form.
Nevertheless, I don’t regret that my education was as I described. The daily struggles shaped my character and allowed me to believe in myself. Sometimes difficulties work out for the best which I’m an example of.”
If you are interested in the topic of education and blind people, please visit the WOMAI Center at the exhibition "Into the darkness".
Author: Sylwia Ziarnik