Originally published in TEACH Magazine, September/October 2019 Issue
By Alex Newman
When law student Michelle Woolfrey was 16, a rare brain condition led to severe visual impairment and sight loss. For the first year or so, she walked with a cane, but unfortunately, she experienced severe bullying from her classmates.
So, she soon transferred to the School for the Blind in Brantford, ON, some 250 km away. During her second year of attendance at the new school, she received a fully-trained service Poodle named Thompson who replaced the cane. The following year, Woolfrey was able to return to her hometown of Barrie, ON, and back to her former high school.
Alex Newman is a Toronto freelance writer and editor. Visit her website, alexnewmanwriter.com.
