REPOST from my other blog

As a child, Honey Baula, wanted to be a doctor. At 18 and in her pre-medicine year, everything went from bright to bleak in just one stroke. She lost her sight.

For more than 10 years she stayed at home and lived an uncomplicated life, putting dreams of a career at the back of his head. Forgetting everything she ever think of. But things changed, and now she is looking forward to being in the medical field that she so desired, as a medical transcriptionist.

In September 2006, a newspaper report on computer training for visually impaired persons in Davao City caught the attention of her mother. She submitted herself for an assessment for the computer training. She even explained that when she was in the bus, she can feel freedom.

She heard on T.V. of a medical transcriptionist who is blind since birth and was able to work like a normal MT. One day, while walking inside Gaisano Mall of Davao, Flong (Honey's sighted guide) MTC Academy who participated on a Jobs Fair. Ever since, Honey was in and out of MTC Academy inquiring about recent updates and if she can be enrolled.

Finally, February 5, 2007, she was an official student of MTC Academy. Everything and everyone was inspired with Honey's determination and persistence.

Honey gave series of talks to media, group of teachers who are involved in guiding multiple handicapped students from different schools.

Here's what Honey Baula can say:




(from left to right: Mom Estrella, Honey Baula, Wit Holganza, Blogie Robillo)

A CHANCE TO BELONG

We may not make the right choices, but fate can sometimes be ironic

I once lived in a world full of sunshine where colors were a sight to behold. I took it all for granted; I never basked in the glory of wonders that surrounded me. When I was still young, I had high hopes and life was still worth living. Trials come and go, and when it came into my life, my bright future dimmed, the brightness that showered upon my world turned into complete darkness. I felt alone, helpless, and vulnerable. I was afraid, confused, and depressed. Worry, doubt, fear and despair – all these things were on my shoulders and turned my spirit to dust. Then, like a virus, all that I felt turned into anger, anger that was eating me up inside. But we all have choices to make; sometimes trivial, or choices that can turn our life around, be it for better or worse. Even as the anger kept growing, I chose to make my life better. I could have stayed home, be alone, and be dependent on my parents for all my needs, or I can simply go out and see the world at my perspective.

I may have lost one thing, but I gained many. I made more friends than before, I learned how to play the keyboard, and was once the church organist at our local congregation. I also learned how to play the guitar. I learned how to bake cakes and pastries and was able to make a small business out of it. I fought against darkness, darkness ruled over me for a time, but it’s not going to get me the second time around. But no matter how I tried to gain back the world, something is lacking. How many like me are still out there, what are they doing right now, are they enjoying the same opportunities I’m having right now, do they also want to make something out of their lives, are they making the same choices as I am, to just sit around and wait for the world to end or go out and seize the day. (SPED to RBI to MTC)

At first, it was all of personal reason and interest, but as time passes by, a vision began to mold, a vision to reach out for the others like me and be men for others, a vision to be of service to the visually impaired. Today, I have found a niche in the society, a chance to belong in the society, in the community. I may be visually impaired but I am normal. I am human. I am a person.There are lepers. There are differently disabled persons. There are mentally challenged people. But they are all human. We are blind, but we are also human. We are persons of feelings and emotions. We feel pain, anger, and we get hurt too. We are people, and we also belong in the society, but we doubt if society embraces our presence. We may not be able to see or hear it, but we can feel the cold stares of strangers. In the world of technology and advances in other fields of endeavor, discrimination is very much felt. We do not want that. You do not want that either. But nobody is taking actions. We only act when it happens to us, to our love ones, to those near us. Why don’t we all act now. Let’s act now.

By placing Special Education program in your school, you are not only educating the visually impaired, but you are also embracing them as one of us. Through this valuable program, you are breaking the chains of discrimination that unconsciously ails our society. You are giving each and everyone a chance to belong, a chance to let them do the things they couldn’t do before, a chance to meet challenges by themselves, and the greatest chance to live life to the fullest. You are also giving them a chance to say “I did this, I did that, and I did this all by myself”. Thanks to the loving support of my family and the Special Education program (SPED), I was able to meet all these opportunities. Because of this program, they turn my disability into an ability. The success of this program will not and cannot be measured by its monetary value and cost, but by how many visually impaired friends and persons we have embraced in our family and in our society. You are giving them a chance to live life as they want it, a chance to coexist in the society, and a chance to love and to be loved. Give them this chance. Abled or differently abled, I know that there is in every persons’ heart the love of wonder, the sweet amazement of stars and star-like things, the challenges of events, the childlike appetite for what is next, and the joy of the game of living.

I want to give a big shout out, with much love and respect to RBI, MTC Academy.

This is the kind of life God wants me to have. This is what he wants me to be, and this is where he wants me to be. And I thank him for that. We are all as young as our faith, as old as our doubt. As young as our self-confidence, as old as our fear. As young as our hope, and as old as our despair. As I continue to move forward, and as you start your journey by giving the visually impaired a chance to belong, let us all walk with God by faith and not by sight.

Again, I am Honey Baula, with pride and without shame, I can tell everybody that I am visually impaired. We could make it, if we try.