See Me; Braille Education for 10 Blind Kosovars

I walked into the classroom of the Society of the Blind in Gjakova as some students were finding
their seats and others eagerly waiting for the lesson to start. To my surprise, they were no longer
using the six-holed wooden structures which helped them to recognize Braille. Instead, each
student was using a Brailler - a Braille typewriter.

As soon as everyone sat, the braille instructor, Shaip, started dictating and students typed away.
Their little fingers searched for the right button, and once they found it, they used all of their
upper body strength to push it. After writing each sentence, they would reach over and touch the
white paper with braille in it to make sure they had written it correctly. Some of them barely
reached over the machine, but their efforts were rewarded as they reached the end of the sentence
and realized that they wrote it correctly. I marvelled at their dedication, and after taking a few
photos, I prepared to leave.

Instead of leaving the room, I was left speechless by what happened next. As I gathered my stuff,
Besiana noticed that her headband had fallen off, and asked me to help her find it. After handing
it to her, she said “Look, I can do this all by myself now”. With the brightest smile on her face,
Besiana took the headband and put it on without anyone helping her. At the end, she tucked
away some of the hair that had slipped from the headband, and turned to say “See, I did it”.

OK, I thought to myself – here is another story about our amazing Besiana. But this time, there
was another story. After Besiana put her headband on, Sadik said “Look at what I can do” and
got up. I was stunned. When Sadik first started attending these classes, he used crutches and
could barely walk. He has a physical disability that makes it hard for him to balance, and for the
first few weeks, his mum would bring him to classes and stay with him to assist him. Now, he
could get up and walk without crutches and all by himself. His smile as he got up remains stuck
in my head.

I cannot say that there is a correlation between attending Braille classes and gaining the skills
and abilities that Besiana and Sadik have gained. Regardless, I could see how the socialization
that happens in these classes is a motivating factor for them because they get to show off their
new skills.

I left the classroom extremely inspired and happy that TIP is supporting these classes. On my
way home, I passed a pharmacy. I could not help but think “Caution: Learning Braille might
include the following side effect: empowerment”. More than ever, I was grateful to all those who
have donated to make these classes possible. It is the third month of classes, and all expenses
have been covered by your generous donations, so thank you!
And Braille is just one of the skills that these students are learning.