Center teaches living skills to the visually impaired

Christopher Sanchez knows learning how to use a computer isn't easy. He's had to do it twice.The first time, when he was 7 years old, he could see the screen. Today, he relies on computer software that reads what's on the screen to him.Sanchez, who is totally blind and hearing impaired, now teaches other blind people to use the technology. He admits it isn't easy.

But he has faith in his students' ability to learn."A lot of (blind) people think they're not independent," he said. "I believe they can do this."That kind of optimism has lifted Sanchez to star status at Stockton's Community Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, where the 34-year-old Stockton resident works with clients one-on-one, four days a week."His enthusiasm is catching. He's very knowledgeable," office manager Bonnie Hamma said.

"He's opening a whole new world to them," she added. "Let's face it, the computer is what's current, and it's a great method of communication."Sanchez teaches his students how to use JAWS, software that "reads" a computer screen out loud as the computer's user taps keystrokes to navigate the computer desktop.He recently demonstrated the program by deftly typing a short letter in Microsoft Word and moving to the Internet, where he looked up and read the local newspaper.

The computer verbalized his every move."It changed my life," Sanchez said, adding he felt trapped after losing his sight to a degenerative condition with which he was born. "Without it, I would never make it."Founded in 1949, the center provides services to blind and visually impaired people, from teaching them basic living skills such as cooking and going to the bathroom to reading and moving around town. Services are free.It's also a place to socialize.

Clients learn crafts, hold holiday parties, take field trips and play "beep ball," a blind version of baseball.Everything is designed to help the visually impaired lead regular lives. Sanchez fits right in.Although his students can't actually see the computers with which they work, Sanchez helps them create an image in their minds. He says it helps."When I train someone, I ask them what they think Microsoft Word looks like," he said.

"The image is important."The biggest challenge, he says, happens when students want to move too fast. But that's OK."I'm a patient person," he said. "It takes a long time to train them to get it right."