She may only be eight years old, but Isabella King from Swineshead, England already has the piano skills to astound her family and teachers. What’s even more amazing is that she was born blind, but that did not stop her at all from playing A-level music piano pieces.
Currently, she goes to St Mary’s Primary School thanks to assistance from Lincolnshire County Council. Her family is extremely appreciative and grateful for all the help they have been receiving. This includes full-time as well as part-time classroom helpers, specialist Braille teachers and visits from a mobility officer, who aids her with things such as cane training.
Despite all the aid Isabella is getting, the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) claims that Lincolnshire has seen one of the highest drops in county council help for blind and partially-sighted people. In fact, the RNIB places Lincolnshire in the seventh position out of twenty of the worst local authorities in England. According to them, there has been an 85 per cent drop in support offered to the blind since 2005. “If trends continue, in just 10 years’ time we could be in the very real position that not a single blind or partially-sighted person will receive any support from their local council to remain independent,” warned the RNIB.
Liz, Isabella’s mother, is rather concerned about the situation. She feels that if RNIB is accurate, then her daughter will be faced with an uncertain future, especially when she heads to university to pursue a career in music. When Isabella was born prematurely with detached retinas, the family was still living and working in Portugal. It was only last summer that the family decided to return back home to Lincolnshire. Liz even praised the council’s efforts in setting out the assistance Isabella would received before they even returned back.
“She is naturally good at all music.She is eight-years-old and she is doing A-level music stuff and she plays the church organ a little bit. She’s playing at a Christmas tree festival in Freiston church in December. Her head teacher heard her playing and said ‘she is outstanding’. I can’t think of enough words that he said – he was just amazed by her,” stated Liz, who mentioned that Isabella has lessons in both the piano as well as the harp. For the full story, do check it out here.
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