Image Courtesy of Pexels
By Mary Davis
Sean Caballero engages the world differently than most. Blind since age 5, he uses his intellect and deductive reasoning to fill to the gaps.
A self-described eager student, the 22-yer-old bookworm started Southwestern College last Spring after a disappointing experience at UCSD. A graduate of Otay Ranch High School, he lives with his two brothers and mother in Paradise Hills. His love of learning was ignited in elementary school when a teacher a Bay Park Elementary taught him braille.
“At first I just learned the letters, then graduated to finding words within a random series of dots,” he said.
A chance discovery of a room with a repository of books in braille changed his life, he said. His appetite was whetted for the dotted word.
“After that I read constantly,” he said. “Even though I am blind I outperformed students grades ahead of me.”
Caballero credits his love of reading for his successes.
“My parents provided for my physical needs, but it was the authors I read that raised me,” he said.
His love of reading segued into a love for writing. An English major and history buff, Caballero said he has a heart for investigative journalism propelled by his love
for writing and commitment to social justice.
“Injustice is everywhere and I have a deep sense of hurt when seeing other people wronged,” he said. “As a blind person you’re encouraged to be dependent. Sighted people have choices but I never felt I had the ability to choose. I’ve been forced into situations and had choices made for me.”
Caballero said he aspired to independence and a fulfilling career.
“I’m a big fan of personal freedom,” he said. “I would love to get a writing job, or perhaps radio or podcasting.”
Construction at Southwestern has presented challenges.
“It was a relatively easy campus to learn,” he said, “but the biggest problem for me is that now more people are crowded onto fewer paths.”
One of Caballero’s brothers drives him to school and his guide dog, Buster, serves as his eyes.
“A dog is much better than a cane, which is just a thin stick,” he said. “Buster guides me and steers me away from most hazards.”
Despite the inconvenience of the construction, Caballero said he enjoys his time on campus.
“I love Southwestern College,” he said. “It’s the best school I’ve ever been to. (Disabled Student Services) helps me a lot, but it’s the teachers who have really made the difference. At UCSD it felt like they just saw me as my disability, but here it feels like they see me as a person.”
Adaptive technology allows Caballero to participate in daily activities. Things sighted people take for granted – like reading a text message – are made possible for Caballero through the assistance of technology.
When it comes to his fellow students, Caballero asks for empathy.
“I need other people to think about how they would feel if they were in my situation,” he said. “
‘How would I handle that?’ instead of ‘Oh, a poor person with a disability.’”
