Relief has a very strong meaning.
To relieve…
Is to lessen a burden…
To lessen pain.

When in 2014, I was in Cuba doing my Master’s thesis work…
And I discovered the…,
At the time, they called it the Sala de Braille at the Cuban National Library.
And when I was in there, I noticed…
I was looking at the equipment that they had, since it was specifically for blind or visually impaired people.
And I saw some of the equipment, and specifically, there was one device…
It’s called a CCTV…
Which is a monitor where you put things under a camera, and it magnifies…
And so, I tried it and it was just so old.
And everything was really blurry.
Like it was just very poor quality…
And I thought to myself,
you know, like…
How can a visually impaired person be expected to use this?…
It’s not helpful.
It’s not helpful.
And I’ve had many, many personal experiences where I needed some kind of help…
Or even, maybe, equipment…
And I was asked or told…
We can give you this alternative…that’s ineffective.
And so, I thought…
You know…
I have some equipment at home that I don’t use anymore, and …
It’s better.
It’s better than what they have here.
The next time I come, I’m going to bring it.

AAd so, it was five years later…
I couldn’t get back to Cuba until 2019.
I just asked for permission from the Library to bring donations.
And I gave them a list of everything that I was bringing.
And I said.
Will you be willing to accept them?
And they said.
Yes.
I took them and they…
When I got there, they said.
Why did you bring these donations to us?
And I said…
I know how hard it is to be blind in the United States…
And so, I’m sure that given the economic situation of Cuba, it’s even much harder for the blind in Cuba.
And I hadn’t forgotten that that experience five years prior made such a big impression on me…

When I was telling the story…
I became…
You know… emotional…
I was almost crying.
they were listening to me, and they were crying a little bit.
and, you know…
Because I just said.
I feel like I’m part of a forgotten group, and I want to help the Blind of Cuba have a better quality of life.
In their…
Just in their daily life and…
And their educational opportunities…
Even in their work opportunities, as well.