Story

Living with impaired sight in Brazil presents a unique brand of challenge and obstacle. Guide dogs and pedestrian road-crossings with audio signals or marker bumps are rare, employment prospects are slim and support agencies are woefully under-funded. Despite this, the people I met at São José in Campos were welcoming, full of the irrepressible humour and optimism for which Brazilians are known, and determined not to let disability stop them enjoying life to the full.

In a square lined with mango trees near my home, visually impaired students practiced physical training lessons, running laps in the shade of the trees. A loop of cord linked the hands of students and coach, helping them steer clear of obstacles. The runners were the first indication of the presence, just a couple of blocks away, of the Educandário São José Operário College. I visited to see whether my horticultural skills might be of any use at the College. Soon after, I began offering a course in "Sensory Gardening" to the students.

We learned about plant care through cultivating species

that had some interest beyond the visual e.g. basil’s (Ocmium basilicum) pungent smell; African Violet´s (Saintpaulia ionantha) velvety leaf texture.

The course was popular and rewarding for students and teacher alike. The college grounds, however, were not ideal for our gardening pursuits: full of spiny roses, potholes and poor, hard soil. We began to imagine a purpose-built garden where we could work safely and independently, experiencing the possibilities of horticulture to the full.

An abandoned corner of the college grounds seemed like the ideal site, and we won the collaboration of the local Rotary Club. Through the AHTA (American Horticultural Therapy Association) we received a 'seed grant' from an anonymous donor for tools and the inauguration party.