Unseen paths: Young and visually impaired in Costa Rica

About 18 percent of nan organization of Costa Rica, a state of astir 5 million, lives pinch a disability. These individuals look difficulties erstwhile it comes to accessing education, work, and nationalist spaces.

Among these disabilities are ocular impairments. As a 23-year-old surviving pinch an oculus illness called keratoconus, which causes nonaccomplishment of vision, I’m willing successful really young group pinch ocular disabilities navigate their mundane lives arsenic they travel their dreams and activity towards their goals.

I decided to attraction connected these “caminos invisibles” aliases “unseen paths” successful my photograph effort for nan Safe Photography Project, tally by nan world younker agency Restless Development, and portion of a global campaign to extremity unit against children. The task enlisted 10 young photographers from astir nan world to analyse what “safe” intends to them.

For me, a deficiency of accessibility signals a deficiency of empathy and is simply a shape of unit that promotes exclusion. In my photograph essay, I wanted to exemplify nan challenges and courageousness of 2 subjects pinch ocular impairments, Camila and Luis, some 13, arsenic they accommodate to nan world to beryllium arsenic independent arsenic possible. Key to this is nan support of friends and family who supply a consciousness of safety, allowing some teenagers to turn and create without nan fearfulness of being misunderstood aliases rejected.

We meet Camila Valverde Gonzales who was diagnosed pinch microphthalmia and bilateral cataracts erstwhile she was 2 months aged and underwent aggregate surgeries earlier nan property of one. When she was nine, she mislaid astir of nan imagination successful her correct oculus and was forced to make changes successful her mundane life, specified arsenic expanding nan font size connected her iPad and mobile telephone and improving lighting astatine location to beryllium arsenic autonomous arsenic possible.

Luis Diego Espinoza Cedeño was calved pinch constricted imagination owed to ocular albinism, nystagmus and strabismus though his parents were initially told he was unsighted astatine birth. At property one, Luis had to commencement wearing glasses to protect his eyes. He spent his first 5 years astatine a schoolhouse for children pinch disabilities and past was capable to subordinate a regular school.

“As an adolescent, Luis Diego has developed conscionable nan aforesaid arsenic immoderate different person. My boy is very disciplined, he tin navigator and do mundane tasks, he plays football, rides a bicycle, draws very well. He is nan benignant of boy who gets disappointment very easy if he can’t do things,” says his mother Andrea Cedeño Suárez.

For this essay, I’ve employed definite photography techniques to picture Camila and Luis’s perspectives. Extreme close-ups springiness nan spectator an friendly consciousness of nan taxable while agelong exposures convey really they spot their surroundings.

Through these photos, I want nan spectator to participate a world that mightiness beryllium perceived arsenic a limitation but is besides a root of strength. Each image is simply a snapshot of resilience, adjustment and individual growth, inviting nan spectator to bespeak connected what ocular disablement intends beyond impairment.