A University of Victoria student seeking a thesis topic for her masters degree has opened up an opportunity for visually impaired students across the province. 

Lynn Wales was encouraged to think "outside the box" in coming up with her topic, so she combined her interest in whales with inclusive education ideals, which led her to create the concept of providing a program through the Bamfield Marine Science Program for the the blind and visually impaired. 

Wales, a vision resource teacher for the visually impaired with Central Okanagan Public Schools, developed the concept into a reality and now serves as provincial coordinator for the program along with Sofeya Devji, with School District 8 in the Kootenays. 

Wales gave a presentation about the unique program at the Central Okanagan Board of Education meeting Wednesday (Feb. 19), joined by a past student participant Seth Gizen.

She said her hope is to give visually impaired or blind students a chance to connect with science concepts that often are based on visual concepts which can be difficult for visually impaired students to connect with and for teachers to provide them instruction. 

 The program was started with the support of the Bamfield Marine Science Centre, located on Vancouver Island, and various sponsors including Central Okanagan Public Schools, School District 8, Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, Provincial Centre for the Visually Impaired, HCTF Education and Bridges Canada. 

Wales said the program is intended to provide an accessible and place-based learning experience through authentic field and research opportunities for blind and visually impaired students in Grades 11 and 12 from across the province. 

The Bamfield centre is a marine teaching and research facility that enables students to engage in marine sciences, explore coastal ecosystems and gain hands-on experience on land and ocean-going research vessels while also embracing a holistic approach fostered by Indigenous elders to encourage an appreciation for the importance of protecting B.C.'s coastal environments. 

For Gizen, who was a student at George Elliot Secondary in Lake Country when he took part in the program, he called it a life-changing experience both from a pure learning opportunity and also exposing him to what the ideals of inclusive education mean for a visually impaired student, of the learning opportunities that exist to him and not to be defined by your disability.  

"It changed my life. The program offered a diverse place of understanding the ways of learning I never thought possible," Gizen told the trustees. 

"I learned that my disability doesn't have to hold me back...the sheer and utter sense of consideration I received from this program was beyond anything I had experienced before in a normal school setting."

From dimming the lights in a classroom for those like him sensitive to bright lights to helping them navigate outdoor learning lessons, Gizen said the week-long program impacted him in ways that carry on to this day. 

Gizen is now a student at Okanagan College studying cybersecurity.

Kevin Kaardal, Central Okanagan Public Schools superintendent/CEO, said Gizen is a great example of inclusive education success in the school district.

" And cybersecurity is a great career stream to start to explore. Well done," Kaardal said.