Blind children learn life skills in Salisbury

The call it rehabilitation, but if you stop by to see the kids participating in the Braille Enrichment for Literacy and Learning (BELL) program at the Blind Industries and Services of Maryland (BISM), you’ll see the students are just learning how to live and do day to day things.

As part of the program students practice reading braille, traveling with a long white cane and learning how to do independent things such as making snacks for themselves.

“It’s critical in their development, this gives them the confidence that they can go forward and do things and these young kids come in here and you can see them attack this and come out of here all excited,” said Frank Puente, president of BISM. 

Danielle Earl, who went blind as a teenager, serves as a rehab specialist for the BISM. Friday when our crew was there Earl was working with two younger boys, showing them how to put vegetables on a plate for a cookout they were having later on that day.

“Basically I wanted them to divide the plate into three, so I was taking their hands and sticking it where they would think would be a good dividing place,” Earl said.

Earl said one of the most powerful things about the program is that kids to get to meet other blind children, something that doesn’t happen too often in their day to day lives. 

She adds that the fact that the students get to interact with blind adults enforces the message that just because their blind doesn’t mean they can lead fulfilling and independent lives. 

As part of the activities on Friday parents were also invited to learn from specialists about things such as writing in braille.

Rita Bloxom, whose son Paul is just five years old, said the BELL program is extremely helpful for both her and her son because there’s not a lot of resources for blind children or their parents. 

“Raising paul has been a journey,” Bloxom said. “Before little Paul came along I never met a person who was blind and I didn’t understand a lot of things about blindness.”

Bloxom said that the part of life blind children miss out on the most is the social aspect because people often pass them without acknowledging them when they’re walking down the street.

Officials with BISM  say the BELL  programs is so important because it helps the children feel empowered and comfortable with their lives.