by Kevin Burton
Those of us with limited vision don’t have to have limited lives. Often we do, for reasons to numerous to tackle today.
Today, stories of two blind students. The first has reached an important milestone to reach her educational goal. The second wants to fill her life with sights and memories before she loses the vision she has:
Blind Student Headed To Vet School
By Brittany Crittenden
and Andres McMunn
Gray News
LUBBOCK, Texas – A student in Texas sees a big future for herself helping animals despite her disability.
Faith Snapp is legally blind. She has also recently received her acceptance letter to the Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine.
Snapp and her twin brother, both legally blind, were born prematurely at 27 weeks.
“So, part of our childhood was figuring out how to navigate the world and being blind in a sighted world is a journey,” Snapp said. “The world is not made for people who are visually impaired.”
Snapp grew up in Slaton and was raised in production agriculture. She started raising goats in third grade, and her family showed horses at stock shows. Snapp developed a strong work ethic and a passion for animals very early in life.
While completing her undergraduate studies at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Snapp realized she could put her passions for animals together with her love of people and work as a veterinarian.
To help with her impairment, Snapp has a guide dog named Prim. She said she is completely blind in her right eye. She describes seeing through her left eye as looking through a coffee straw and seeing colors and movement.
When she began applying for vet school, some questioned her decision, but she said it never swayed her.
“It’s not every day that you see someone who’s visually impaired try to go to vet school. It’s actually really rare,” she said. “So, a lot of people were kind of like, ‘What? You want to be a vet?’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, I really do.’”
When she visited the Texas Tech School of Veterinary Medicine, Snapp said she felt right at home. She interviewed in January and said school officials told her they were prepared to help support her however they could.
“When I got the acceptance call, I was just blown away. It still doesn’t feel real, I don’t think. But I’m very, very blessed to be here and have the opportunity to go there,” Snapp said.
Snapp starts vet school in the fall. In the meantime, she’s busy working in her final semester at West Texas and caring for her horse, Kip. She’s also keeping busy teaching others about her guide dog as president of the Companion Animal Club.
“There were things that could have stopped me, I feel like. And thanks to, you know, everyone in my life, I chose to keep pushing on,” Snapp said. “If you have a dream, please go for it because I promise you can do it.”
Visually-Impaired Girl Sets “Visual Bucket List”
By Tom Oakley
BBC
BBC
An 11-year-old girl who dreams of seeing the Northern Lights has created a visual bucket list of sites she would like see before losing her sight.
Lily-Rae, from Nottingham, was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition called Stargardt disease in December. Doctors told the schoolgirl that her sight is constantly deteriorating, but it is hoped she will keep some of her peripheral vision.
Her mother Emma has launched a fundraiser to make her dreams come true.
Lily-Rae started losing her eyesight when she was about five years old, but was initially told she just needed glasses by opticians.
Emma said she noticed her daughter was having more sight problems when she picked her up from school, with Lily-Rae only realizing her mother was there when she was directly in front of her.
The youngster says she dreams of seeing Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower, and would like to go on safari in Africa.
“I want to see the Northern Lights, even if it’s just one time,” Lily-Rae told BBC Radio Nottingham. They are the most beautiful things. I love space and I even know how [the lights] are formed, which is very interesting.
“I want to go up the Eiffel Tower; I am horrified of heights but I would not care if I can see the beautiful view at night,” Lily-Rae said. “I would like to go on a safari in Africa; I also want to learn a few languages on my way. I definitely want to try and learn German, Russian and Thai – I just want to learn languages all over the place.”
Stargardt disease, which affects one in 10,000 people, is caused by a tiny alteration in a single gene, according to the Macular Society.
Lily-Rae, who has started learning braille at school, says she wants to be a scientist when she is older, so she can help find a cure for her condition.
A target of £2,500 ($3,166 US) has been set in an effort to fund Lily-Rae’s bucket list adventure.
I worked in the corporate industry and career was my thing,” Emma said, “ but I’m a mum and that’s what I have to put first. Even if I was working, I wouldn’t be able to pay for all of the things she’d like to do.”
“I felt quite bad about reaching out to people, knowing how difficult everyone has it at the moment, but [the appeal] has given me that verification and validation from people that it’s something that’s out of the ordinary,” Emma said.
“As a mum you want to protect your child and being able to take her to these places and putting those memories in the bank would be really special to both of us.”
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