Jude Nickson isn’t letting a lack of sight stop him from reaching his goals. Nickson, a student at Indian Woods Middle School in Kansas, has bilateral microphthalmia. “My eyeballs did not fully grow, so right now my eyeballs are about 1/10th the size of your guys’, and I have prosthetic eyes,” he said. Nickson hasn’t let that slow him down – literally. He’s running cross country at his school, with a little support. No student who is blind had ever run for the school before Nickson, so assistant principal Lindsey Constance decided to step up and help. “When we start, we have a guide rope. … I hold it, he holds it together,” Constance said. The two run side by side, and Constance helps Nickson avoid obstacles. She gives him cues about bumpy terrain or turns. “Like, if there’s a tree root, they’ll say there’s a root ahead and they’ll either try to, like, veer me around or tell me to step over,” Nickson said. Constance and Nickson said that cross-country isn’t always easy. “Every time you run, you always want to quit,” he said. “You just have to keep going.” Constance said she was worried about cuing him wrong or him falling. But Nickson doesn’t let fears hold him back. “You might get a little bit injured, like, I’ve twisted my ankle a little bit. … Just keep going,” Nickson said.
Jude Nickson isn’t letting a lack of sight stop him from reaching his goals.
Nickson, a student at Indian Woods Middle School in Kansas, has bilateral microphthalmia.
“My eyeballs did not fully grow, so right now my eyeballs are about 1/10th the size of your guys’, and I have prosthetic eyes,” he said.
Nickson hasn’t let that slow him down – literally. He’s running cross country at his school, with a little support.
No student who is blind had ever run for the school before Nickson, so assistant principal Lindsey Constance decided to step up and help.
“When we start, we have a guide rope. … I hold it, he holds it together,” Constance said.
The two run side by side, and Constance helps Nickson avoid obstacles. She gives him cues about bumpy terrain or turns.
“Like, if there’s a tree root, they’ll say there’s a root ahead and they’ll either try to, like, veer me around or tell me to step over,” Nickson said.
Constance and Nickson said that cross-country isn’t always easy.
“Every time you run, you always want to quit,” he said. “You just have to keep going.”
Constance said she was worried about cuing him wrong or him falling. But Nickson doesn’t let fears hold him back.
“You might get a little bit injured, like, I’ve twisted my ankle a little bit. … Just keep going,” Nickson said.
