Once a Teacher, Always a Teacher
“Braille Institute gave me back my purpose in life.”
—Margaret Blomberg
Margaret Blomberg devoted her life to teaching—until blindness ended that career much too soon. Through Braille Institute, however, she has found new ways to regain her love for educating others.
Born with cataracts in both eyes, Margaret wore very thick glasses throughout school. “Then, in my mid-twenties, I developed glaucoma and lost much of my peripheral vision.” Fortunately, medical treatments at that time made it possible for Margaret to teach fourth grade for thirty years.
That was until the day Margaret’s husband visited her classroom and pointed out that she hadn’t seen any of the kids on her right or left waving their hands. She remembers, “I loved teaching, but I reluctantly retired.”
Not long after, Margaret found a renewed sense of hope when she stepped aboard a Braille Institute Mobile Solutions bus from our Rancho Mirage Center’s outreach program. Inside she discovered that so much help was available, free of charge, to those who are blind or visually impaired. Margaret learned that Braille’s services ranged from low-vision consultations, to a library with hundreds of thousands of audio, braille and large print books, to classes that would enrich her creative side.
Immediately Margaret registered with our library and then she began taking exercise, knitting, computer, and eventually her favorite, Kitchen Confidence adaptive cooking classes.
“I just loved it, and volunteered to assist,” Margaret remembers. Soon, she was teaching a Kitchen Confidence class, reviving her lifelong classroom calling. This fall she’ll be teaching even more classes. “It’s wonderful to help people feel confident around the kitchen, and it’s my way of thanking Braille Institute, because they do so much for me. Braille Institute gave me back my purpose in life.”
