Student of The Blind.

"Pink is the color of your Mother's voice, it's calm and soothing..." I had made it a point to teach Snow the psychology of color so she could be intentional about her choices. She beamed at me and said "Pink is NOT the color of my Mother's voice!"and we both giggled. I was hired to work as a Blind Educator at the Utah Schools for the Deaf and Blind and when I first met Snow, it was immediate soul recognition. I recognized her happiness in my own. The best part? Snow loved art.

On any given day, I would draw Snow pictures and have her feel the crayon rubbings on the smooth paper below. We drew volcanos and made them erupt with fiery red and black ash. We drew yellow submarines while listening to the Beatles, however, Snow’s most requested drawing was me holding my baby. I had just become a Mommy and I think she could feel that Motherly love in me.

During the summer, I gave Snow a few private art lessons. My favorite activity was making her a paint-by-number in Braille. I used puff paint to hand-draw letters on her paint tubes that corresponded with the arches of a wooden rainbow. We sat at my round kitchen table and laughed together. I’ve watched Snow grow in awe. She plays the piano, swims, rides horses and rollerskates with her cane. While Snow was learning about art, I was learning to braille and I could always count on her to catch my mistakes.

We’ve all heard the cliche ‘the blind leading the blind' and I strongly believe it’s problematic because it presumes people who are blind aren't capable of doing when the opposite is true. In the mentorship we had together, it was the Blind leading the Sighted that took place. I can't tell you how much I miss that little girl.

XOXO