It's a beautiful spring day. Maria gets up early. She feels happy. She knows that it's a nice day because she puts her hand on the glass of the window. It is very warm. She opens the window and the singing of the birds fills the room. She can smell the flowers outside her home. They smell sweet and fresh. After Maria gets dressed and has her breakfast, she puts her books in her bag. She is ready for school.

Maria is a lot like any other students in her neighbourhood. She goes to school and likes to be with her friends. But Maria cannot see the beautiful spring day. She cannot see the flowers, the blue sky, or the singing birds. She cannot see the new green leaves on the trees. She cannot see these because she is visually impaired. She has been unable to see since she was born.

But Maria is happy. She goes to school everyday. She can learn the information because she reads Braille. Braille is a script that uses raised dots. Each letter is made from dots. People move their fingers across the raised dots to read. Maria learned to read Braille as a young child. Her books at school are in Braille. She enjoys reading poems and history. Maria's teacher says she is a good learner.