Tucked away in a corner of campus, room 309 may not carry much significance to many students. However, to Sophomore Federico Hernandez and the other students of the visually impaired program, room 309 is their second home.
TCHS is part of a system known as the Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA). The system consists of 14 schools within the same area, each catering to students with a specific disability. TCHS serves students who are blind or have seeing difficulties, such as Hernandez.
Hernandez receives aid from staff members such as Teacher for the visually impaired Mr. Grant Rowe, who has a teaching credential that allows him to work with visually impaired students. In order to support his students in their academic lives, Mr. Rowe communicates with their teachers and family members.
“You get to know the kids really well because there are so few of them, and there are a lot of one-on-one interactions,” Rowe said. “I really like working one-on-one with students and their families and making the general education environment accessible to someone who can’t see or has difficulty seeing.”
Mr. Rowe is familiar with braille, technology, daily living skills and other teaching strategies specifically used with visually impaired students. He uses these skills in order to ensure that his students can work in a natural school environment.
“I’m just glad that the school is providing us with what we need,” Hernandez said. “However, I have felt out of place. Sometimes I want to socialize, but I am treated like a special ed kid, which I am not. That holds me back and it gets me mad too.”
Hernandez attends general education classes and Adaptive PE. In each class, he has a peer who acts as his eyes to help him visualize what the teacher is lecturing on, using velcro lines and dots to make diagrams.
Many of Hernandez’s teachers alter their curriculum in order to accommodate him. English and Beginning and advanced drama teacher Ms. Michele Gaffney utilizes certain programs that allow her to transcribe the material into braille.
Unlike other students, Hernandez tends to rely more on physical objects to learn. For example, where others would be able to see an image of a heart and its chambers, Hernandez feels out a model or listens to a description in order to visualize the subject.
“Although Federico is visually impaired, it does not mean he is any different at all,” Senior Monique Hwee said. “It showed me that we should all treat everyone equally, despite any differences. Federico is really intelligent and I enjoy learning more about him and being able to guide him through geometry. ”
The greatest challenge that Hernandez faces is not his lack of sight, but rather the general perception that his peers have of the visually impaired. Instead of being treated like someone with a disability, Hernandez prefers to be treated as a normal student.
TCHS School Newspaper