Meet Calvin Ventresca

Calvin Ventresca is an outgoing, cheerful, and forward-thinking 10th grader, making use of his talents with limited sight. Calvin was born with Congenital X-Linked Retinoschisis. He explained that he looks “normal”. No one would guess that he cannot read fine print and is legally blind in both eyes. He has gone through multiple surgeries to maintain his vision in his left eye, (he was born with a macular scar in the right), and productively utilizes all the resources at his school to continue his education.

His mother, Lilia, explained that early intervention made such a difference. They were recommended to Dr. Drenser, who has been taking care of Calvin’s eyesight. Lilia also said that support systems are critical and sometimes a parent has to search carefully to find the resources and accommodations a child needs. Calvin has an excellent teacher consultant for the visually impaired who has read tests to him, arranged for a talking iPad, and helped make schoolwork more manageable. Lilia said that the state of Michigan has some of the best programs in the country for the visually impaired.

When asked about all his operations, Calvin said, “I had to do the surgeries” to maintain his vision so he did not worry about them. At this moment, his vision is stable and he about to get his driver’s license.
Calvin feels that his impairment has given him the strength of adaptability. He explained that he often cannot do things in the “normal” way that a sighted person would, and he enjoys the challenge of accomplishing what he wants to through his own ideas. He thinks it is “cool” and “fun” to look ahead to new ways of managing his life. Calvin is very open about his disability and willing to share his story. He would like others with disabilities to not think they will not succeed because of their situations but to have a belief that they will prevail.

~ Kay White