From blind person to IT teacher

When we arrived, Ms. Nguyen Hong Van (born in 1972) and her two nieces were engrossed in learning English on a computer that had pre-installed software to support the visually impaired.

Looking at her soft fingers gliding quickly on the keyboard with precision and flexibility, few would dare to believe that those were the hands of a blind person. To our curiosity, surprise and admiration, she said:It's also very hard, nIn the first days of using the computer, even though I had installed support software for the blind, I still had to "struggle" with the keyboard. To compose a document, it sometimes took me all day, my head ached like a hammer when I heard the sounds sticking together, dancing... But then I persevered, and with practice, I got used to it.

Now, she is proficient in using computers, can edit documents easily, can access websites, search and read documents using screen reader software.

Despite being blind in both eyes, Ms. Nguyen Hong Van can still use the computer proficiently thanks to installing support software for the visually impaired. Photo: Thanh Quynh

Born blind, but when she reached school age, little Hong Van still longed to go to school. But because her family's circumstances were too difficult and in the countryside of Nam Dan where she spent her childhood, there was no class for the visually impaired, so that dream had to be buried.

Every day, listening to her peers practice spelling, she also sat and listened and practiced reading. When she was 7 years old, her family was surprised to see that she could spell fluently. For that reason, later when learning Braille, it only took her 1 week to be able to read and write fluently, while her classmates took nearly 1 month.

In 2004, when she was exposed to computers, her whole horizon of knowledge seemed to open up before her eyes. Since then, she has tried to study to master computer skills. Every day, she is updated with news through newspapers and participates in online courses to improve her knowledge. In particular, she can chat, use gmail and Facebook like a normal person to communicate with friends and relatives.

Ms. Van can compose documents quickly and accurately. Photo: Thanh Quynh

In 2008, she was honored to be entrusted by the Provincial Association for the Blind to teach IT to the blind associations. Despite the difficulty of traveling, she was still full of enthusiasm to be able to go to each class of the association in all the districts near and far in the province.

On the first day of class, she was very nervous because teaching IT to students who had never been exposed to computers was very difficult. Along with that, to use computers, one needed to understand and know English while the students had almost no knowledge about this field.

But then, with patience and creativity in teaching, through many lessons, students gradually approached and were able to use the computer proficiently. The lessons seemed more fun when English was "Vietnamized" into Vietnamese. She said that the students in the class had a way of using English that was both creative and memorable, for example, the command "set up" would be called "bicycle", the "tab" button would be called "slap"...

Through the classes, empathy has erased all distances and brought her boundless happiness. Although the courses are only held once a year, for her it is an opportunity to integrate into life, to be a useful person, to give love and receive love.

In addition to computers, Ms. Van also skillfully uses smart electronic devices with built-in screen reading software to learn about her favorite books. Photo: Thanh Quynh

More specifically, after Nghe An Provincial Library opened a reading room and put into use amplified computers for the visually impaired, she was chosen to come here to support everyone as a teaching assistant.

After the lessons, she encouraged and somewhat aroused the students' passion for reading. She confided: “For people who cannot see the light like me, books open up a whole new world, allowing me to imagine and feel all the beauty through each word without needing any help from others. Through reading, I gain an understanding of history, culture and feel the beauty of nature, of paintings... making my soul no longer bored. More importantly, the more blind people know how to think and have knowledge, the position of blind people in society will naturally be raised and therefore their spiritual life will be increasingly improved.”

Outside of teaching hours, she is also an avid writer. She writes prose, poetry and even writes for newspapers. The joy is indescribable when she can write down her own thoughts, feelings and opinions. She wants her writings to be the thread that binds her to this life a little tighter, more passionately, even though she has never seen that life moving before her eyes.

Every day, she updates news on electronic newspapers using her smartphone. Photo: Thanh Quynh

Talking about her, Mr. Nguyen Minh Duc - Chairman of the Nghe An Blind Association proudly shared: "The valuable thing about Nguyen Hong Van is her eagerness to learn and her confident, independent lifestyle. Van has spread optimism and joy in life and helped other visually impaired members integrate into the community. Many students, after being guided by Van in Information Technology and Foreign Languages, have confidently communicated with the outside world. From there, they are more confident and live a more meaningful life so as not to become a burden to their families and society."