Blind Childrens Center

4120 Marathon Street, Los Angeles, California 90029 (323)664-2153

A family-centered agency serving children with visual impairments

IN THIS REPORT...

Gabriel An inquisitive and imaginative little boy

Donning cap and gown and smiling ear to ear, Gabriel accepted a well-deserved diploma during the Center’s annual graduation ceremony. Gabriel is a charming 5-year old whom all of us will forever hold dear in our hearts. Despite a tearful farewell to Gabriel and his family, a feeling of happiness remains. We know Gabriel has blossomed into an independent and confident little boy, ready to take on new and exciting challenges.

A beautiful, brown-haired little baby, Gabriel was born blind. At 6 months of age, Gabriel was enrolled in the Center’s Infant Program. His aunt, who was also born blind, had attended the Center in the 1950s and referred his parents, Monica and Gabriel, Sr., to the program.

In the beginning, tiny Gabriel wasn’t able to do much of what a sighted child at his age was capable of doing. Yet, before long, he began his battle for independence, and learned to do many activities on his own, like searching for his favorite toy, sitting and standing on his own, and feeding himself during snack time.

Gabriel later advanced to the Center’s Educational Preschool Program where he began to improve his language, learning and social skills. He was also quick to adapt to the use of a mobility device to independently navigate through his environment. Gabriel holds the title as the Center’s youngest cane user in its 63-year history.

In addition to his advanced use of a cane, Gabriel also excelled in using his other senses to compensate for his vision loss. An inquisitive little boy, Gabriel continually asked adults to identify the voices and noises he heard so he could understand what was going on around him.

Active and outgoing, Gabriel especially loves to sing and dance and shared his talent with our families and friends as our lead act at this year’s graduation. He performed his favorite song, "Paloma Blanca," which he will graciously sing to you, word for word, on any given day. Gabriel also has a gift for writing creative, fanciful stories. One of our favorites is "The Lion Who Chased the Horse Away."

The Lion Who Chased the Horse Away
By Gabriel
Once upon a time, there was a big, fat lion. He liked to chase horses because he was scared of the horses and wanted them to go away. One day he went to a petting zoo and jumped in a big pile of mud so the horses would not find him. The lion said, "oh no...there is a cobra in here. I can’t believe it!" So he ran away and no one ever saw him again.
The End

This September, Gabriel will advance to Frances Blend Elementary School where, we’re quite certain, he will steal the hearts of the staff at his new school just as he stole the hearts of all of us at The Blind Childrens Center.