His Growing Confidence Will Pave the Way to Success

His Growing Confidence Will Pave the Way to Success

Blind since birth, David S. joined Braille Institute’s Youth Program in grade school. “My first class was cooking where I learned how to make chicken nuggets for myself.” David also participated in The Braille Challenge® academic competition, went on a surfing excursion, and performed in Braille Institute’s award-winning Johnny Mercer Children’s Choir. “The youth program helped me become more independent and I made tons of friends.” 

Now 15 and a high school sophomore, David has discovered that Braille Institute can also help pave his way into the world of technology, which is so critical to his future success. Two years ago, when he got his first iPod, his mother urged him to visit Connection Pointe, Braille Institute’s state-of-the-art technology center, to receive free instruction on the latest mainstream and adaptive devices. 

David continues to attend regularly and has formed a solid friendship with one of the Connection Pointe teachers who is also blind. “She’s fun, and she makes my experience more exciting. I’m learning how to be less nervous about new technology.”

Such support serves David well as he pursues his ambitions—to publish a novel he wrote about his freshman year in high school, to attend college, and to eventually become a pediatrician.  

In the meantime, he’s begun helping other Connection Pointe students under his teacher’s supervision. “I also teach them not to be nervous about new technology, so they can learn what it can do for them,” says David proudly.