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If you know Westwind’s Assistant PE Coach Jose Marinez, you know that his determination, grit, and hard work do not go unnoticed. What people might not know is that he has learned a new way of living life after losing his eyesight.
“Since I became blind at the age of 19 and 20, I have had to learn to do things in a different way,” said Marinez. “My vision deteriorated from when I was younger. For instance, now when I cross the street, I move my head both ways not to look for traffic but to listen to what is coming.”
Right now, second-grade students are learning about biographies and chronological order sequences. They have been studying the biography of Helen Keller and how she learned how to navigate life through her disabilities.
“We invited Mr. Marinez to allow the students to see the ‘real life’ struggles that a person with disabilities deals with on a daily basis,” said Lesley Rundell, Second-Grade Teacher. “He did an AMAZING job explaining to students his daily routines/struggles and he constantly referred to Helen Keller and the comparison from then to now.”
Similar to Helen Keller, Marinez had teachers who helped teach him how to navigate life without sight, empowering him to build independence and adapt to his new reality.
“I was taught new skills by a mobility teacher to use tools like a walking cane to move from one place to another. I was given magnification tools to do day to day tasks by a technology and vision teacher,” said Marinez. “For Helen Keller the impossible tasks of reading and communicating with others were made possible with the impact of a teacher on her life.”
Marinez helped explain how much our world has changed and that today more people with disabilities are mainstreamed in society more easily than in the 1800's.
“Students today do not have a grasp on how difficult life can be if you are stricken with a disability because we live in a time of technology,” said Rundell. “When we began talking about Helen Keller, my students had no idea who she was. As we read about her and how she became deaf and blind, they were very interested in how she managed to do school, or anything else."
The second-grade students were asked to put major events of Helen Keller's life on a timeline and make sure that they were in the correct chronological order.
“Because the students were so excited to learn about Keller's life, they were very successful in putting together the events of her life in the correct order. They worked in groups and learned so much about the amazing life of Helen Keller,” said Rundell.
Throughout the presentation, Marinez demonstrated how he uses a white cane, the accessibility features on his phone, and various magnifying tools. Students were very curious and asked several thoughtful questions. At the end of the presentation, the students got an up-close look at his seeing tools and felt pages of braille.
“In the end, we had a goal to educate students of the potential we all have to achieve greatness in our day to day lives,” said Rundell. “Helen Keller could have quit and done nothing with her life; instead, she went to college, learned 5 languages and wrote many books! The hope is that this encourages our students to strive for excellence in all they do in school and in life!”
Marinez echoed an encouraging message to the students that you can do anything you put your mind to. He hopes that his life challenges can inspire perseverance and resilience in their own lives.
“I hope they take away the understanding that just because something is difficult does not mean that it is impossible,” said Marinez.
Very inspiring lesson, Westwind Teachers and Students!