Inside Out
Role Model to Many, Inspiration to All
Managing a college classroom is no easy task, but imagine teaching without the benefit of seeing your students. That is the reality of Dulce Muccio Weisenborn, who has worked as an English professor at Miami Dade College for the last 35 years.
Weisenborn was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a progressively blinding condition. Her vision has been deteriorating since 1975. As her vision worsened, she devised creative methods to interact with students both inside and outside the classroom.
“My students send all assignments to me via e-mail,” Weisenborn explained. “All exams are electronic and students submit tests to computer lab technicians. I have a computer file for each student and I use a program (Window-Eyes) to add my comments and feedback to their work. I can control everything that is on the screen, all formatting, etc. I also have a Braille display.”
The responsibility of getting her to class and to meetings with faculty and students rests with Weisenborn’s guide dog, Sparky.
“With Sparky, I can chat with students while walking, which is hard to do with a cane. I also think I’m more approachable with a dog. I can be commanding and intimidating, and Sparky serves as a good bridge,” Weisenborn laughs.
Blindness has not stopped Weisenborn from maintaining her teaching credentials or from becoming an entrepreneur.
In addition to teaching two courses at North Campus, she is the cofounder of LifeDesigns, a consulting firm providing life coaching and personal and work-adjustment training to clients with disabilities and vocational students.
To others with similar challenges, Weisenborn offers the following advice: “Allow yourself to be vulnerable; allow others to help you,” she said. “To try and hide your vulnerability or stifle your needs because you’re too afraid to ask for help is the biggest hindrance of all.”
Weisenborn also recommends that visually impaired individuals learn blindness-related skills, such as how to read Braille and to use screen readers. But most importantly, she says, be organized, competent and in command of yourself and all your tools – skills that apply to the blind and sighted alike.
— Nicole Tallman