Can I Teach if I’m Going Blind?

Called to Teach

Inspired to teach special education after some volunteer work in high school, I decided to head to college. I had no idea what lie ahead that could cause me to reconsider my decision.

I was wrong. Immediately I noticed I found myself tripping over nothing. Shadows tricked my eyes into thinking they were objects thrown into my path at the last minute. At Christmas, while at home, my dad noticed my vision had worsened.

“We’re going to need to get you back to the retina specialist again, I’m afraid,” he told me.

My Challenge

That summer, the retina specialist sent me to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City where they diagnosed me with Retinitis Pigmentosa; a progressive, incurable, and hereditary disease. Still considered rare, they could only guess how long it would be before I was blind. Darkness filled my mind the instant the word “blind” reached my ears. The phrase, “You will definitely go blind over time,” kept echoing in my mind.

I had to face some major decisions. My heart yearned to help others and teaching the mentally challenged seemed the right road to take. Doctors thought I could read for 3 to 5 more years, at best, and be totally blind in 11. Could I still achieve my dream and teach special education? I pondered.

Support

Trying to imagine what blindness would look like, several scenarios ran through my mind over and over for the rest of the summer. My entire future lay ahead. It seemed necessary to weigh out whether to go back to college, or not. My parents supported me with their opinions but left the decision up to me.

My personality pulled ahead of my thoughts and won. I would return to college. The way I viewed it, the doctors weren’t sure when I would go blind anyway. I had no idea what I would face, but I had a crazy kind of confidence I now call peace. I could figure out how, if it happened. God would be with me. Waiting to see what would happen with my eyesight didn’t make any sense. Only precious time would be lost.

Studying the next year definitely confirmed I had a progressive eye disease. Eye strain made completing assignments impossible. My eyes tired so easily, Three pages of reading took me thirty minutes, followed by an hour and a half nap. The same eye strain meant giving up my job as an office assistant working an old-time switchboard to being a Resident Assistant on the first floor of the residence hall I resided in.

Help

Dad, being Dad, found out services were offered through Vocational Rehabilitation Services for the Blind. They would pay for thirty hours a week. I learned readers were students I could hire to read my textbooks out-loud to me  personally, or into a tape recorder for me to listen to later.

Quickly, I hired college students I now was responsible for overseeing. Given an assignment to read a chapter in two days, I’d have to find which reader would have time to borrow my books, read into a cassette tape player, and return both in time for me to read along as I listened before attending my next class.

No more strain – no more naps, but a lot more work.

More sight was lost during college. More obstacles would need to be dealt with after graduating and starting to teach for me to defeat and conquer after graduating in order to teach. However, accepting my diploma stating I earned a B.S. in Education that day in December 1983, meant the first leg of my journey was complete though.

Overcoming

Overcoming these college challenges, made me confident that with God’s help, I could handle anything that might come my way when in a classroom. It seems I was right. After sending out several resumes, my own superintendent in my home town, turned me down, fearing I might be a liability. Another Special Education Co-op was more than eager to give me a try.

Reading normally faded, but God’s grace enabled me to read with adaptations and special tools for another ten to twelve years. The rest of my vision continued narrowing until left with only a sliver of sight.

Looking back, I have no regrets. Every challenge conquered, strengthened me, as well as enlarged my problem-solving skills. Experiences gained prepared me for other legs of the journey God planned for me.

God is Able

The answer, my friend, is, “Yes”. I can teach when going blind. Not only can I, but I did, and do. 

I have:

• taught public elementary school in three school districts
• home schooled my youngest daughter Kindergarten through her Senior year
• home educated two of my grandchildren until they got caught up academically
• taught Children’s Church for almost twenty years
• taught Sunday School for all ages of children for many years
• taught Bible studies to adults

Since my vision abilities varied greatly over this span of time, my methods changed greatly. I had to get creative many times when not seeing raised hands or answers written, but I figured out a way to convey material. I did teach and students learned. God is able!

© 2022, Jena Fellers. All rights reserved.