Rehabilitation in Belize
Thanks to people like Disraeli Socorro Bol, living without sight doesn’t mean living without independence. She explains how deep-rooted Mayan beliefs make her role challenging.
I have been a rehabilitation officer for Sightsavers’ partner BCVI (the Belize Council for the Visually Impaired) for seven years.
I work with blind people of all ages, especially young children. With babies, socializing is the key: asking them questions, holding their hands and getting them used to being in new places and around new people. As they get older, when they start primary school, they will move on to learning Braille and how to use a Brailler (a typewriter used to write Braille). If the child learns fast, I start them using a cane when they are five. Then I’ll start teaching them basic maths.
The fathers often can’t accept a woman suggesting the best ways their child can be helped
I rarely have problems with the children as they are usually eager to learn, working with the parents is the hardest part. This is especially true of traditional Mayan families. I am of Mayan descent, and in Mayan families the father is always in charge of the family and dictates the child’s activity. The fathers often can’t accept a woman suggesting the best ways their child can be helped, and have trouble accepting that the child is blind. It’s like they feel ashamed and they would rather try and ignore that fact, and that means they are against rehabilitation.
To overcome this I work mostly with the mothers. I also try to get other community members involved, like respected male teachers, as they are usually more open to the work that BCVI do. They will help me communicate to the family, especially the father, about the kinds of things the child should be doing.
Every day I learn something new with the rehab clients
My greatest success story is Richard. He had lost all of his vision to glaucoma. Richard’s parents died in violent circumstances while he was in high school, but I helped encourage him to continue his education despite this. He is now a university student and popular part-time radio DJ. (You can click here to read Richard’s story.)
After all my years working at BCVI there are still so many things that put a smile on my face. The thing that I like most is meeting people in different circumstances and situations. Like doing outreach clinics where I convince people to have their eyes checked and often it turns out they need glasses or surgery. Every day I learn something new with the rehab clients, especially with the younger children.
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