Diego Martins, 9 years old, is learning to read and write at home with the help of Adevirp teachers who provide one-on-one classes. 'May this year not be lost,' says the founder.
With the quarantine, students of all ages found themselves urgently needing to adapt to distance learning. The difficulties are many. For nine-year-old Diego Martins, who was born blind, they are even greater. Gradually, however, the boy, who is accustomed to understanding the world without being able to see it, manages to overcome the barriers and learn. And he has a dream: to be a journalist.
Diego's memory is highly developed. Even with total blindness, he knows every corner of the house where he lives, in Ribeirão Preto (São Paulo). This ability makes online classes easier. Over his cell phone, the teacher talks to the boy live and teaches him how to write.
A logical sequence of symbols the boy has never seen, the words only exist inside Diego's head. Until he puts his hands on the braille machine and writes them.
"Fingers also see," he says, confident that limitations will not prevent him from achieving his goals.
Distance learning
The school where Diego studies, the Association of the Visually Impaired of Ribeirão Preto and Region (Adevirp), is empty due to the coronavirus pandemic. The 200 students are having classes from home. At first, it seemed unlikely, but the work is working out.
"It has been working very well, because our work was already individualized. We have always looked at the individual difficulties of each child. The proposal remains the same, only at a distance. The learning process has continued, says psychologist Bianca de Assis, who monitors the students.
The learning method developed by Adevirp, used by 45 professionals, received the highest rating from the Ministry of Education (MEC), which considered the work a national teaching reference, according to the institution's founder, Marlene Cintra, who dedicates their life to children with visual impairments.
"We were caught by surprise, but the response from our technicians and educators, the way they are committed, makes even me, with 40 years in the profession, emotional. We are making individual contact with the students, strengthening them so that they have hope and this year is not a lost year, but rather a year of light and learning," she says.
Anyone wishing to collaborate with the work developed by Adevirp can contact the institution by calling (16) 3913-1900.
SOURCE:
G1
