In Her Own Words: Teenager Shares Her Experiences At Lighthouse International
My name is Kate Lawson. I am a 16 year old, visually impaired student living in Manhattan. One of the many things I love about New York City is there are many unique opportunities for the blind and visually impaired. In the summer of 2005 I took part in a month long independence program. My peers and I focused on developing professional skills at the Lighthouse, took trips to fun and interesting locations in the heart of the city and lodged at Columbia University. It really was great learning and socializing with other visually impaired students.
Another opportunity I took advantage of was one on one personalized SAT tutoring. I committed myself to over five hours of studying a week at the Lighthouse with Mr. Stanley Hirschberg. It was hard work but it did pay off in the end. I'm sure my scores will help me get into the college of my choice when I apply this December.
In June 2007 I and four other blind and visually impaired teens crossed the Atlantic into the wondrous countryside of Southeast France. L'Occitane en Provence, a company that produces high quality, natural body care products, sponsored the four day trip. While I was there, I took a tour of the L'Occitane factory, including the laboratory where chemists work on getting the combinations just right. I also attended seminars on plants, how to identify them and how to extract the essential oil within, the literal essence of the plant or flower. All of this was based on scent and touch, no vision required, which I thought was extraordinary. I highly encourage other blind and visually impaired teens between the ages of 14-16 to apply. It truly was one of the best experiences of my life.
This article is reproduced with the permission of Parents of Blind Children of New York. It originally appeared in the Fall 2007 newsletter, Perspectives, which can be downloaded from their website: www.pobcny.org