A blind girl proved that a disability is no longer a hindrance in pursuing a dream, and she pursued hers and now she is a licensed professional teacher.
Her lack of eyesight did not stop her from achieving things that sighted people may struggle with.
Dianalisa Lagunda is a licensed professional teacher after passing the recent board examinations for teachers.
She interacted with Kabataan for Change (KfC) stalwarts Carl Hinlo, Lowie Bugahod, and BJay Baquero.
Lagunda said that she is still on cloud nine and the fact that she is a licensed teacher is slowly sinking in.
Lagunda said when she was younger, she wondered if a blind person is able to pursue a teaching career as people like her need to have special support.
Her achievement is credited to her family which is willing to help her out, especially in finding schools that can accommodate her special needs as a blind person.
She also acknowledged the foundation that bankrolled her studies from elementary to college.
As she was studying, the initial challenge is the environment as there is always anxiety whether or not she can find friends who understand.
She said that as a blind person, navigating through an environment is a challenge, especially when the environment is unfamiliar.
Having friends helps a lot to navigate the challenges, especially for people like her who are visually impaired, she told the KFC crew, and that is just navigation as academic challenges are another story, she narrated.
Oftentimes, study materials are designed for those who can see, but she was lucky having classmates who lent her a hand, she quipped.
Lagunda said she has been lucky to have accommodating professors that made the materials into Braille or to convert these into soft copies.
She said at the foundation is her faith and prayerful nature, and prayers helped her overcome doubts, hope, and hard work.
She said that to successfully navigate life as a visually impaired person, one must be humble to accept that help is needed, and acceptance of being differently abled is not a sign of weakness.
Each one has his or her own story, she said, but every person aims for one goal, which is to achieve success, and to succeed, one needs to be determined and pray often, plus self-motivation.
“Even in the darkness, Ma’am Dianalisa Hamo Lagunda, LPT proves that a heart that believes and keeps going becomes the true light – joined by KFC Anchorman Carl Hinlo with the core team members John Lowie Bugahod and Jacquiline Bjay Baqyuero during their KFC Program on News Makers ug Uban pa, every Friday from 1 to 2 PM.”