Sa’Lynn Woodside, a visually impaired junior at Zachary High School, uses a cane and takes a braille course which includes instructions in daily living skills. Sa’Lynn was assigned the task of using her braille skills in her community.  If you have read about Sa’lynn before, you know that she is an advocate for the visually impaired in our community and has taken on many initiatives to make daily tasks easier for them. She has been recognized by the City of Zachary for her efforts and commitment to educating others about visual impairment. There are currently five students in the Zachary School system for whom she advocates and mentors.

One of the things she recently noticed is that many restaurants have no braille or large print menus. People with visual impairments must often rely on waitstaff, friends, or family to read for them. With the help of her VI specialist teacher, she contacted several local restaurants and asked them if they

would like a large print and braille menu. This project has encouraged her to study becoming certified in braille transcription service. “There is a shortage of braille books because there aren’t enough people with the skill. I would like to help because I like helping people and I want to be a good example to the elementary students with visual impairments—that you can be independent, do a lot of things, and not be ashamed to be different.”

Are you interested in learning braille? The American Foundation for the Blind website  is a great place to start!