Fine Arts Program

Imagine...

...that you are a high school student performing on stage for the first time in front of an audience. You are nervous and excited, and so proud of the hard work you put into learning your lines and stage instructions. Now imagine that you are blind, and you will be doing this without being able to see the audience, the stage, or your fellow actors.

This scenario took place last weekend at Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, as fourteen young people performed in "The Little Prince," to huge applause and acclaim. One of the student actors proclaimed to her teacher after the performance, "This is the best time in my life — and I don't want it to end."

Drama students all over Texas perform in their school play every year as a culmination of classroom study. However, visually impaired students are rarely included, as drama teachers don't have the expertise, experience, or time to meet the special needs of a blind student. At Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, the drama teacher is a certified instructor of visually impaired students and a dedicated teacher who encourages all interested students to participate in the play, whether they are blind, low vision, multiply handicapped, or mobility impaired.