A substitute for sight

A few years ago Leone Sciberras, who is blind, had to be escorted to his office by someone every day but now he catches a bus to work alone – led by his guide dog Aval. “Aval changed my life for the better… Now I can use public transport and don’t depend on anyone,” the 29-year-old said proudly. As the new president of the Malta Guide Dog Foundation, Mr Sciberras is working to encourage other blind and visually impaired people to become independent. Unfortunately, he said, very few members of the blind community applied to have a guide dog. In fact, over the past six years, there were only 13 applications. “Blind people need to look for opportunities to become independent and not wait for opportunities to fall in their laps,” he said. Some were scared of venturing out there alone and this kept them dependent on others to move around. While not all people were suitable to have a guide dog, perhaps due to their age, the foundation also helped visually impaired people learn how to use the white cane and make their way around. Mr Sciberras lost his eyesight completely when he was 12, following an accident, but his parents always encouraged him to remain active. He studied IT and...