Lance Finds His Confidence
As a teenager with a visual impairment, Lance is generally reserved in unfamiliar groups and places. He speaks quietly and is more content to observe than be the center of attention. On his first day as a new participant in our Youth Transition Program’s Photography for All session, he was understandably anxious. He was going to be asked to speak about himself in front of a group of others he barely knew.
But as other program participants told their stories, Lance began to recognize some of himself in them. Like Lance, all of the others had visual impairments, and many had never had the opportunity to explore the city independent of their families. As the day wore on, Lance became more comfortable. “They were certainly a group of characters,” he says. “And I’m a bit of a character too. I felt like I found my people.”
Over the next few weeks, Lance and his fellow participants learned how to use public transit maps and schedules to navigate the city. They bonded as they practiced cooking and other independent-living skills and learned to use an iPad’s adaptive features to take photographs. With each day, Lance’s confidence increased … so much so that Lance had no problem walking the runway in front of 250 strangers at our FLAIR fashion event in September.
Lance is now in his senior year of high school and is looking forward to what lies ahead. “I feel better traveling, and I feel more confident in myself,” he says. “I see a lot more opportunities in front of me. My mailbox is filling up with college brochures, and I’m getting ready to apply.”
