More to the zoo than meets the eye

Perkins senior guides visually impaired at Franklin Park

 Conventional wisdom might say that one goes to Franklin Park Zoo to see the animals. But a world waits there for those largely limited to touch, smell and simple curiosity.

“Keep your minds open and you will learn a lot,” said Mike Pedone, 20, a senior at the Perkins School for the Blind who is working as a guide at the zoo through its summer intern program.

Yesterday, Pedone and 19-year-old Josh Hallee, who is also visually impaired, led eight 7- and 8-year-old summer students from Perkins through the animal kingdom with the skill a sighted zoologist could envy.

The two have been trained through audio and braille materials over the past five weeks. While sharing what they have learned has been special, it means so much more to enlighten youngsters facing some of the same issues they did at a young age.

“Because they can’t see it’s that much harder to explain it, but when you’re done you feel so much better about it,” said Hallee, who plans to join the Marines after high school.

While Pedone and Hallee are finishing up their program, the kids are halfway through a weeklong camp with plenty of enthusiasm left.

Upon being introduced to Sage, a pony in the petting zoo, 8-year-old Li Parmenter pushed aside her walking stick, ran her hand along its neck and fired off six questions in the span of 10 seconds.

“What does he do in the morning?” Parmenter asked, trying to lay out the animal’s entire day in her mind.
And with each answer from her able guides, the young girl's smile grew.