Impaired vision can’t hold back Lynn English student

LYNN – Avana Morris is a typical teenager: she plays the piano, takes vocal lessons after school, plays on the high school volleyball team and loves to socialize with friends.The only way Morris is different from most of her peers is the fact she is legally blind.After an accident at age 2, Morris has dealt with a neurological visual impairment, meaning her sight is extremely limited and incapable of being improved by corrective lenses or contacts.Morris, a senior at Lynn English High School, says she has never allowed her visual impairment to show her down.”I have tons of friends,” says Morris. “I definitely don’t let the fact that I’m visually impaired hold me back. I just have to approach things differently than most people.”Morris even decided to try out for the volleyball team.”I was skeptical about trying out because learning a sport requires a lot of visual cues,” she says. “I can’t just watch something and understand how it works. I need more of an explanation.”Morris says she learned how to “spike the ball” after she gained a better understanding about the movements involved.”I worked with the coach to develop verbal cues which helped me learn the technique,” she said.Morris uses technology like electronic Braille, tactile graphics and screen-reading software in the classroom.Morris is unable to read small print, has difficulty distinguishing colors and finds it hard to view most pictures and photographs.For that reason, paraprofessional Tracie Lindsey works alongside Morris in the classroom and assists her with note- taking and making sure she stays up-to-date on assignments.”She’s a very bright student,” says Lindsey. “She’s great about taking notes when teachers are speaking, so I just make sure she doesn’t miss anything that’s getting written on the board.”Morris uses a portable, electronic device called a Braille notepad for taking notes in the classroom. The device has Braille keys for entering information and uses a speech synthesizer and/or Braille display for output.The Braille notepad is a significant upgrade from the standard Braille device that Morris once used, a device that made portability more challenging since it weighs close to 30 pounds.Note taking isn’t the only thing that comes easier to Morris since the technology has improved, thanks to new legislation enacted by U.S. Rep. Edward Markey.Morris was recently a guest of honor at an event hosted by the Carroll Center for the Blind, which celebrated the recent passage of Markey’s legislation, “The 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act.”The legislation was signed into law in October by President Obama and updates the communications laws to enable individuals with vision, hearing and other disabilities to fully utilize Internet-based communications services and to better access video programming.Like most teens her age, Morris loves staying connected with friends, but found it “annoying” to have to ask her mother for help every time she wanted to read or send a text message.”My mom is great and has always been very helpful, but how many people my age want their parents to be in the loop about everything?” she says. “I have a lot more independence now when it comes to communicating with my friends.”Morris received her first accessible Smartphone a little more than a year and a half ago, which allows her to text message her friends without using her mom as a guide.The Smartphone literally reads every action out loud to Morris that she performs on the phone in a volume appropriate enough for her to hear it without being intrusive to others around her.Although her new phone provides her with better services to suit her needs, Morris says the technology is “not cheap” since specific “accessible” software must be installed on the device.”The next step for the bill is to work toward getting the prices reduced,” says Morris. “I think people who are blind and visually impaired should be able to walk into a store and get an upgrade on their pho