A visually impaired UTRGV student was honored with a scholarship by the Texas Federation of the Blind.
Erik Iván Hernández was born with a visual disability called Stickler syndrome, this is a vision disease that in many cases can be inherited. And in Erik’s case, in his family, his grandfather and his mother have the same visual condition as him.
Erick is a 25-year-old Brownsville resident who is studying education at UTRGV, and his dream is to be a history teacher.
“I decided to study education because it is a very important part of society, being able to educate young people who are the future of the country or the world, and history, because I find it fascinating to know our past,” adds Erik Iván Hernández, UTRGV student.
Having a limited vision does not stop Erik, since apart from studying a university degree, he got married last year and volunteers at a church in Brownsville and Matamoros, where he helps in homeless shelters by collecting food and clothing supplies for them.
For his community work and good grades, he won a scholarship from the Texas Federation of the Blind.
Erik comments that he had difficulties looking for Braile reading books for his university education, but that UTRGV helps him by providing him with all the necessary tools.
“UTRGV has given me the facility to tell me, we don’t have the braille book, but it is digital, it is accessible at your fingertips and well there are no excuses that I can say that I didn’t get the book. If you have any visually impaired, you can sign up for a scholarship at the Texas Federation of the Blind, although these kisses are only given to 5 people a year,” adds Erik Iván Hernández, a UTRGV student.
The Texas Federation of the Blind is dedicated to the complete integration of the blind into society and provides annual study scholarships to visually impaired people who excel in social work or good school grades.
“We give them to them for their academic excellence and also because they stand out as individuals who work in the community, as volunteers, who make a change in the lives of other people,” adds Daniel Martínez, secretary of the Texas Federation of the Blind.
People with visual disabilities in the Rio Grande Valley who want to apply for a scholarship or require support groups for the blind can contact the federation by phone 2819687733 or through the website nfbtx.org.
