Page 2 “The fact that Kiannah was brave enough to present to her peers, not only should be self-empowering but also an education piece for everyone. Understanding visual impairment is just another tool in respecting one another’s differences. Principal Gregg Halfyard “ Kiannah wanted to share her story with her peers so they understand some of the challenges she faces with limited vision. Kiannah has Aniridia, a rare eye disorder characterized by the absence of the iris. The iris is the coloured part of your eye which controls the size of the pupil. Due to the complete absence of her iris, Kiannah does not have an eye colour. With this rare eye disorder and the absence of the iris, the eye isn’t able to adjust to differing levels of light which can cause poor vision and sensitivity to light. Nicole Cabral, a resource teacher for students with visual impairments said, “Kiannah’s presentation was both an inspiring display of courage and a valuable learning opportunity for her peers and teachers alike. Her openness to spreading awareness about her eye condition is admirable, and educating her peers to understand her challenges supports inclusive and diverse classroom environments that we as teachers strive to nurture.” During the presentation, Kiannah asked her peers if they have noticed unusual movement in her eyes at times. She went on to explain nystagmus, sometimes referred to as “dancing eyes.” Nystagmus is a vision condition where the eyes make involuntary, repetitive and uncontrolled movements. At the conclusion of her presentation, Kiannah said, “I may have a visual impairment and you guys don’t, but really, in my opinion, that doesn’t make anything any different.” After the presentation, Kiannah and her Mom Stacie, handed out worksheets and answeredquestionsstudentshadregarding the rare disease. Stacie also has the rare eye disorder Aniridia. In fact, Stacie said that while Kiannah’s vision seems to be improving, hers is deteriorating. Having to work through the visual challenges on a daily basis, Kiannah wanted to organize an activity so her classmates could understand a little more about it. She planned a class activity where her peers, organized into small groups, tried on simulator goggles that simulate the effect different eye conditions have on vision. Students were surprised at how challenging simple tasks became. 