Navigating Study Abroad in Prague with a Disability 

As a person who is visually impaired, I struggle with getting around no matter where I am, 但在一个陌生的环境中，这就更加困难了. 这是我急于宝博体育的主要原因之一. 在异国他乡航行已经够吃力了, 再加上我视力不佳，这就更加困难了. 然而，我知道我将永远后悔允许我的身份作为一个 student with a disability 阻止你去体验不可思议的、改变人生的事情 CEA CAPA Prague study abroad program. 所以，我把恐惧放在一边，头也不回地订了机票.  

Here are some worries that I had about studying abroad with a visual impairment that I overcame: 
 

Receiving disability accommodations in my classes 

当我第一次决定在2022年的8月到12月 studying abroad in the Czech Republic，我感到害怕，我不会在我的课上表现得很好. 这源于我的假设，我在国外不会得到和我在国内大学一样的残疾照顾. CEA CAPA had safety and support abroad 这超出了我的预期，并要求他们提供所需住宿的文件，以便他们更好地帮助我上课和游览. 我的教授们在第一天上课前就收到了这些安排的通知, 所以他们已经熟悉我的具体情况了而我不需要特意去确保他们熟悉. My stress was alleviated; I no longer had to worry about my disability affecting my learning experience just because I chose to take a semester of classes in a foreign country. 

Navigating a more inaccessible world 

The Czech Republic is not nearly as accessible as the U.S. 也许这个国家为弱视人士(或者根本没有视力)所做的最多的事情就是在公共交通工具的每一站都有声音提示. Besides that, the stoplights and pedestrian signs shut off at nighttime, 街道上是有裂缝的鹅卵石，很难在上面行走, 而且大多数建筑物的标志或电梯上都没有盲文. I learned all this on my first day, 所以我准备在接下来的几个月里，在我的日常通勤和短途旅行中，克服这些障碍. 我知道让自己熟悉这座城市的最好方法，就是做一年前我离开这里上大学时所做的事情:宝博体育. I did the same routes, again and again, 直到我可以像没有任何视觉一样去做. I also memorized street names, tram schedules, 以及我所能做的任何能更好地帮助我从一点到达另一点的事情. 很快，我就习惯了这个地方，把布拉格当成了我的家. 它不再是那个令人生畏、陌生的城市，它现在是我在这个世界上最喜欢的地方. 

Despite my doubts, I quickly adapted to life in Prague; Four days in and I felt comfortable communicating my disability with my professors and peers; four weeks in and I navigated Prague completely on my own; and by four months, getting around the city was practically muscle memory. 

Asking for help when needed 

作为一个自称独立的人，我通常会尝试自己解决问题. However, 有时，尽管我尽了最大的努力，我还是不能自己弄清楚(或看到)一些事情, 所以我没有别的选择，只能寻求别人的帮助. 

我妈妈经常告诉我一句著名的罗马尼亚谚语:“Cu rușinea mori de泡沫”,” which literally means, “with embarrassment you die of hunger.” Because of my glaucoma, she knew I needed assistance in certain situations, 所以她告诉我这些，这样当这些情况出现时我就不会感到羞耻. 当我在国外的时候，我意识到了这句话的真实性，并开始经常对自己重复这句话. If I needed help reading the menu at a restaurant, I told myself that with embarrassment, you die of hunger. 如果我需要知道我过马路是否安全, I told myself that with embarrassment, you die of (vehicular manslaughter). If I was lost and didn’t know how to find something, I told myself that with embarrassment, you die of (being nowhere to be found). In those four months, 我明白了母亲在我19年的生活中一直在说的现实——担心尴尬不值得牺牲我的幸福. 

Making up for what I lacked in sight 

我非常感谢我决定与CEA CAPA一起在布拉格留学. 它教会了我很多关于我自己和我周围的世界的东西. 虽然我不能完全体验捷克共和国的风景, I still participated in its culture, whether it came from tasting the food, learning the history, hearing the music, or even just by taking the morning tram ride to campus.