They are blind but they can still see

MANILA, Philippines - To those who relied on their sight most of their lives to build their dreams and their livelihood, then losing it can be absolutely devastating. Hope, along with the loss of sight, goes nowhere but in the darkness of the person’s grief and depression.

Blindness is not just about completely losing one’s sight but can also be a place where people get stuck and choose not to see what can be done to go on living without being able to see the world around. There is no question that living in the dark is tough, yet there are those who choose to rise above it, helped by other blind people who pull them out of that dark place they were once in.

And these are the people from Adaptive Technology for Rehabilitation, Integration and Empowerment of the Visually Impaired (ATRIEV). Since 1994, it has taught over 500 blind and low vision individuals to become productive citizens, like how to use computers.

It is the only school for the blind in the Philippines that specializes in providing access to computers and information technology for the visually impaired, producing several firsts for blind Filipinos.

The first blind medical transcriptionist, the first blind contact center recruitment center specialist, and the first blind Search Engine Optimization (SEO) manager, all took the computer training program offered at ATRIEV.

And joining this list of successful ATRIEV alumni are Raymond Reyes, Erick Marco Ramos and Rhea Althea Guntalilib, who each has their own stories to tell.

Reyes was a family man when he lost his sight. He had optic neuritis due to ethambutol toxicity. Though still with a wife and child to provide for, his condition forced him to retire from his job as well. “I was very scared for myself but I was more scared for my family,” he recalls. Loneliness and hopelessness then took over.

Ramos was almost 21 years old when he became completely blind. A promising kid, he recalled, “when I picked up a copy of Oliver Twist, I knew I wanted to read for the rest of my life.” But this love for learning was interrupted because of his retinopathy which caused his blindness.

On the other hand, Guntalilib was an outgoing 18-year-old who was diagnosed with a rare retinal condition, where the loss of oxygen in the retina caused internal hemorrhage in the veins and resulted to its detachment.

“I was at the prime of my youth when I went through the gradual loss of my sight,” Guntalilib narrates, “and it led me to intense stages of disappointments and depression. I was fiercely devastated with what fate has brought me.”

They lived what may be the darkest days of their lives, but despite the love, support and care from family and friends, the self doubt that was brought by their condition stuck around which gravely bothered them until ATRIEV got in to their lives.

“ATRIEV gave me the chance to prove myself again,” Reyes said. “After my six-week training, my self-confidence was restored and increased my self-worth and self-esteem.” He now works as a sales agent at BPI-MS, a non-life insurance company, and was recognized as “Rookie Sales Agent of the Year” for 2012 for selling the most number of policies among the company’s new sales associates.

After taking up ATRIEV’s PC operations with Access Technology program, Ramos pursued undergraduate studies (English major) at the Philippine Normal University. As one of the brightest in his class, he was given application forms for the Global Undergraduate Exchange Program (Global UGrad) funded by the US Department of State and administered by the Philippine-American Educational Foundation, which also administers the prestigious Fulbright Scholarships.

Ramos became the program’s first visually impaired grantee and after completing his college degree with magna cum laude honors, he plans to pursue higher studies in literature or creative writing.

“It was my first exposure to a community for the blind. My stay in ATRIEV was challenging and a great sacrifice for the whole family since I had to be away for four straight months. We were exposed to very demanding tasks, but eventually I trusted my abilities again, that I can still do things that I do, and I started to pick myself up and dream again,” Guntalilib recalls.

Guntalilib was given a shot at finishing her undergraduate studies through a scholarship after her training in ATRIEV. She took up Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and now works as a software development analyst in one of the biggest telecom firms in the country, a feat that only she has done among blind Filipinos.

They may have lost their sight and probably all hope. But it does not necessarily mean they lost their will to live. With the loving support of families and friends, and the guidance of their second home in being a part of the ATRIEV family, Reyes, Ramos and Guntalilib regained something far more important than regaining their sight — a vision of themselves making it through despite their situation and other hardships, a gift that even some sighted people don’t have.

The ATRIEV Computer School for the Blind is located at the 2/F, 1680 E. Rodriguez Boulevard, Cubao, Quezon City. For more information on ATRIEV and how you can help, call 725-4191 or e-mail at atriev.inc@gmail.com.