'Lighting up' for visually impaired students

Wake up before sunrise

Every day, Ms. Nguyen Thi Du (born in 1996) wakes up before sunrise and welcomes the dawn of a new day on a road of about 30 km from Chi Minh ward (Chi Linh city) to the center on Hoang Van Thu street (Hai Duong city).

After leaving her child with her grandmother, Ms. Du took the bus to work. After work, she hurriedly followed the sidewalk on Hoang Van Thu Street to the bus stop on Bach Dang Street to return home. These activities were so familiar that people thought she was a normal person. In addition to Ms. Du, the center also had 2 teachers who traveled from Gia Loc and Tu Ky districts to the center every day. However, these 2 teachers were luckier because they had good eyesight.

On a chilly late autumn day, in a classroom of less than 15 square meters at the center, Ms. Du was touching each student’s hand to teach them letters. Watching her guide and explain to a student about the first two sticks in the stick model for the blind to learn letters, I felt impatient because after 15 minutes the students still could not follow the instructions correctly. I was startled when an object flew up towards the classroom door. I looked on in shock and saw that it was a blind student with multiple disabilities and hyperactivity throwing a stick up.

Only when I spoke up did Ms. Du and the students realize that someone was standing outside the classroom door. Ms. Du said that the students' actions were common. Each year, the center has about 60 students. Each class here has completely blind students, students with blurred vision, visually impaired students, motor disabilities, intellectual disabilities, autism... Teaching normal students is hard, but teaching visually impaired students and students with multiple disabilities to integrate into the classroom is even more difficult. There are students who have been integrated for up to 3 years and still are not qualified to go to school because their intellectual development is very slow. Teaching a student to be able to go to an integrated school is a difficult and challenging process. Therefore, the teacher's job is not only to teach them letters but also to influence their behavior.

Ms. Du said that with just a small model like a wooden ruler about 30 cm long and a small model like a screw, students can learn a lot of knowledge, from spelling, dictation to math... In addition, students are taught by teachers about raised dots, learning to remember, touch, and feel. Just this activity alone takes some students a whole year to practice.

“The happiest moment is when the children can spell or read Braille. Because if a blind student has a poor cognitive ability and develops very slowly, it is very difficult to teach,” said Ms. Du.

“Ring ring”, the recess bell also gave me more time to talk with Ms. Du. Ms. Du’s mother and sister are both visually impaired but not completely blind. Ms. Du also suffered from a congenital eye defect. When she was 6 years old, her family took her to the center to study. In the early days, she cried loudly, demanding to go back to her mother. But here, with the care and education of teachers, and studying with friends in the same situation, Ms. Du gradually regained her balance, nurturing her dream of becoming a teacher. And then the young girl’s determination did not disappoint her family. In 2016, Ms. Du was admitted to the primary education department of Hai Duong College. After graduating, Ms. Du returned to the center to teach. At the same time, she continued to work and study for a university degree. Just like that, the young teacher’s youth has been attached to the center until now.

Ms. Du's 5-year journey of direct teaching has been full of difficulties and hardships, but with empathy, love and passion for the profession, she has helped many students confidently go to school, making their path to community integration closer.

Observing the class next door, I saw Ms. Vu Thanh Huyen (born in 1981) enthusiastically teaching blind students about some flowers. Suddenly, a girl about 10 years old turned to ask a friend about 15 years old: "Do you know the pear-ki-ma flower?". The friend innocently replied: "Yes, my mother told me that the pear-ki-ma flower has a light gray-green color, in the song it talks about Vo Thi Sau". The girl mumbled: "Yes, I wish we could see what that flower looks like, how many petals it has...". Then both of them fell silent. My eyes stung. Although the space was covered in darkness, the children's souls were filled with light.

Suddenly, Ms. Huyen turned back to the classroom door and I realized that she also had an eye disability. Unlike her peers, while she was a student at the Hanoi University of Foreign Languages, Ms. Huyen's eyes gradually dimmed and she was diagnosed with retinal degeneration. She had to put her studies on hold for a year for treatment. At the age of a student, dropping out of school and having to live in the dark was unimaginable, but she still tried to overcome difficulties to get her diploma. After graduating, Ms. Huyen was introduced to the Provincial Association for the Blind to work in 2006. After that, Ms. Huyen was sent to attend specialized classes organized by the Vietnam Association for the Blind to return to teach at the center.

Ms. Huyen's house is about a 15-minute walk from the center. Every morning, she wakes up early to go to the center, prepares documents, and guides students to integrate into some nearby schools. Except when her husband takes her to and from school, she takes the initiative to walk to the center. The route is so familiar that she remembers every tree and electric pole on the sidewalk from the end of Chuong Duong Street, across Hong Quang Bridge to Hoang Van Thu Street.

During her 18 years at the center, Ms. Huyen has faced many difficulties and hardships, but she is still diligent as a mother, a sister, and a friend to her students. Ms. Huyen always researches and innovates educational methods, wholeheartedly caring for this place to become a common home filled with love for the less fortunate children, lighting up hope for a bright future ahead for them.

Ms. Huyen said the most difficult stage is the pre-integration stage. Due to late intervention or older students who had accidents that affected their eyes before entering the center, there are many different ages in one class. In addition to eye disabilities, there are many students with multiple disabilities, so their levels of awareness are also different. Teachers have to teach rehabilitation from the smallest personal activities such as brushing teeth, washing face to how to dress, walk, etc.

During the conversation, I was startled several times by the loud door-slamming of students. Some of them were visually impaired and hyperactive. Ms. Huyen said that some hyperactive students often slam doors, throw things in the classroom, shout loudly, and scratch other students. At times like these, each teacher has to be gentle and influence their behavior.

“Not to mention there are mentally disabled students who defecate in class, and teachers have to clean up,” said Ms. Huyen.

The center has a total of 8 teachers, 3 of whom are visually impaired but not completely blind, the rest have good eyesight. Each teacher understands and sympathizes with the students' desire to integrate into the community. Therefore, seeing each student graduate and confidently integrate into the community, the teachers are very happy. Some students have stable jobs, can support themselves and their families, and make many new friends. It is like a spiritual tonic that adds enthusiasm to those who are committed to the career of educating people in a difficult place.

Faith and hope

Each teacher at the center has a different situation and Ms. Du has the most difficult situation. She has 2 children, her 1-year-old son has a congenital eye defect and will also come to this center in the future.

Ms. Du said that she only receives 4 million VND in wages each month, and her husband works in agriculture, so their economic conditions are very difficult. Just the monthly bus fare costs 2 million VND. “The minimum monthly expenses for the family are not enough. My husband and I keep borrowing money this month and paying it back the next month to maintain our lives,” Ms. Du said, choking up.

Ms. Huyen's situation is better, but her salary is only 5.7 million VND/month. Ms. Huyen has 2 children who are studying, so it is quite expensive. Ms. Huyen's husband is self-employed, so the family's economy is also difficult, mostly thanks to the parents of both sides. "My younger siblings love me so they sometimes give me money. Every time I receive money, I feel ashamed because when I was a student, I was their idol. But if I don't take it, I won't have money to pay for my children's tuition," Ms. Huyen said.

Ms. Huyen said that before 2017, teachers were still paid according to their grade and received support for teaching people with disabilities. Since April 2017, teachers’ salaries have not changed for the eighth year. Although the authorities have met many times, there has been no result.

Mr. Vu Anh Minh, Director of the Center for Rehabilitation, Education, Vocational Training and Employment for the Blind, said that since June 2017, the center has been determined not to be a public service unit, so it has not been assigned a payroll and has been required to change the previously signed labor contract to a salary regime, keeping the same level of benefits until April 2017. Apart from the current salary, the teachers here do not have any other income.

"Recently, we continue to request and relevant departments and branches are coordinating research to find solutions," said Mr. Minh.

I left the center when it was already dark. Walking slowly out of the gate, I could still vaguely see the figure of Ms. Du hurrying along the sidewalk on Hoang Van Thu street. Looking up at the pitch-black sky, below the bright high-pressure lamps, I remembered Ms. Huyen and Ms. Du had just said that one of the motivations to continue contributing was that they were still waiting, believing and hoping for a change in wages.