During the project : Capacity building for teachers and children with low vision in public schools, the team had the opportunity to meet a student with a visual impairment named Ket Monireach, who lives with his grandparents in Kraing Ampil village, Kampot town, Kampot province. Monireach was studying in grade 6 at Anukwath Primary School. His dream is to become a doctor so he can help poor people, especially the elderly, like his grandparents. He suffers from farsightedness, which makes his eyes sensitive to sunlight and shade. However, Monireach is not treated differently in his community; he has good social communication skills and is able to engage with his neighbors friendly.
“My friends and neighbors treat me fairly; there is no discrimination against me. I have made many good friends both in school and in the community.”
Monireach first discovered his visual impairment when he was in grade 1. Unfortunately, there were no interventions for his condition; his grandmother merely suggested to teachers that he sit in the front row because she was concerned that her grandson was not able to access enough of his studies. After completing training sessions by the project team, an eye-screening day was organized in collaboration with eye-care specialists in targeted province.
Monireach was diagnosed with farsightedness and received spectacles. Monireach truly finds the spectacles beneficial for both academics and daily life The spectacles enable him to improve his academic outcomes and community involvement.
“I can learn better now because my teacher arranged my seating position appropriately, wrote large letters so I can see the board better, and I can easily approach my teacher. Moreover, my teacher is aware of my needs and is always responsive to my requests during class.”
