Initiated in 2004 by the U.S. bureau of educational and cultural affairs, The English Access Microscholarship Program (Access) supports non-elite teenagers by offering after-school activities aiming at teaching English language skills and American culture to increase their educational and career opportunities. Alice Xu, the BCIS elementary school visual arts teaching assistant, has been involved in Access for three years. This summer, Alice, who used to work with migrant children, moved onto teaching blind teenagers. She joined with sixty students from Beijing School for the Blind for a summer camp at the National Convention Center of China Disabled Federation, Beijing.

Just like other summer camps, the ten-day summer project includes interactive activities, art, music and P.E classes. However, it especially focused on English learning and character building. During one art class, students discussed what makes one a hero and were asked to make artworks on this topic. “It wasn’t a surprise that many of them drew pictures of their parents,” said Alice, “but later I learned that parents play a more significant role in their lives than other children. Because of their lack of eye sight, these students heavily depend on parents for communication with the world.” Yet, parents cannot be permanent mentors, so career education and training is crucial to them. The community of the blind is a very supportive group, but they have limited help from the world outside. Many parents admitted that they are considering having a second child to help take care of the elder.

 Nevertheless, Alice stresses that we should never underestimate potential talents of the blind. During the summer camp, students were asked to make clays and bean art crafts. Without vision, they made artwork with the other senses like touching. “I was amazed when they put clays into shapes like hearts, hands, and human bodies,” said Alice. She also admires their creativity. During one session, a student made two bean crafts: one with a closed palm and another with an open palm, indicating selfish and selfless love, respectively. The students also showed fascinating talents on the talent show. Some of them played music instruments and even performed on the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games opening.

 Misinformation and lack of communication gave many people an impression that the blind would have a simple life. Yet, Alice saw the opposite. Listening to radio is one of the most popular hobbies among the students. Some listen to audio books or surf on the internet with specially-designed computers. After the summer camp, Alice kept contact with some students through Tencent QQ, a popular Chinese online messaging program. One of Alice’s students “read” a lot of Chinese classical literature pieces, and wants to translate these books when she grows up. “It’s important that parents and educators never lower their expectations, because if you keep protecting these children because of their physical and biological limitations, they will never get a chance to explore and strengthen their potentials, and this applies to all students,” said Alice. She also urges more people to get involved and learn more about lives of the blind. She told us, “the students are eager to connect with the rest of the world. If you take some time and get to know them, you’ll notice that they are as curious, creative and naive as other children. And by understanding them, you will better understand yourselves and the world as well.”

(by Chiao-Yu Tuan)