Blind Kid Gets a New Lease on Life Thanks to This Device

Adrian Quint is a ten-year-old fourth-grade student from Berlin, Germany. His hobbies are swimming, playing with his lego, horseback riding, karate, soccer, and learning to write on his computer. His least favorite thing is obviously, doing his homework. But when his parents ask him to, he does it anyway. All in all, Adrian sounds like a pretty normal blind kid. Adrian was diagnosed with Retinoblastoma since birth, but he became fully blind at the age of five.

Attending School for Blind Students

Adrian goes to school at the Johann August Zeune school for the blind in Berlin. He likes to play soccer, Ludo and Uno with his friends at school. Besides classroom education, Adrian is inspired daily by the faculty. Two members of the faculty staff that Adrian has a close connection with are blind. His principal, Ms. Kruger, and his teacher, Mr. Park. Adrian’s teacher, Mr. Park lost his vision from the same condition that Adrian did, Retinoblastoma. This fact helps Mr. Park connect to Adrian since he knows what life is like when you are a blind kid. Having such a good and positive relationship with his teachers has made Adrian want to be a teacher when he grows up. If he won’t be a teacher, his second choice is to become a physiotherapist.

In school, Adrian learned how to read Braille. Since its invention, almost two hundred years ago, braille has become the main reading and writing method for people with low vision around the world. Its tactile method was the perfect solution at the time for educating visually impaired students everywhere. Books and educational materials covering all kinds of subjects were printed in Braille. Even math and geography were taught using the tactile learning method. Cubes were made for math studies, and maps were made using shapes and letters on a wooden board. Today, braille and other tactile teaching methods are in a decline. Therefore, many blind schools are turning to assistive technology for teaching.

Very Few Activities for a Blind Kid in Adrian’s Area

Adrian feels disappointed in the fact that there are no blind soccer teams near his home. As a blind kid, Adrian can’t join every sports league in his area, if it isn’t a league that can accept kids with special needs. He feels that joining a sports team would help him channel his positive energy into physical activity. In addition, the social setting of a team would help him make new friends. Even though Adrian wasn’t able to find a local team to join, he has been chosen to be on a much more exciting team. A team with global reach, and with members from across the globe.

OrCam technologies creates the world’s most advanced assistive devices for people with low vision. In order to promote global awareness for people with low vision, OrCam has decided to select twelve outstanding individuals to share their inspiring stories with the world. This is the #OrCam_DreamTeam. Adrian was recently selected as one of its members. Adrian and the rest of the #OrCam_DreamTeam met Leo Messi in Barcelona on the official kickoff of the #OrCam_DreamTeam. Adrian was thrilled to meet one of his favorite soccer players in the world.

What made Adrian even more excited, was receiving his very own OrCam MyEye device. The most advanced assistive technology device for people who are blind and visually impaired. While using the device, Adrian attaches it magnetically to any pair of glasses. He can then use it anywhere, since the device is wearable, portable, and can work offline. Now Adrian can read any text from any printed or digital surface. He can even recognize the faces of friends, classmates, and teachers. In addition, he can recognize barcodes, money bills, colors, and personal items.