It was at Ramacrisna that Luan had contact with chess and theater, two great passions. It was also during his time at the Institute that the young man learned to share the difficulties and overcome the challenges experienced due to visual impairment.

He has 24 years and more than a decade of partnership with the Institute, participating in several projects, until becoming one of our employees. Because of retinitis pigmentosa, he has a visual limitation, seeing 75% of the right eye and less than 20% of the left. But that didn’t stop him from developing several talents and skills.

Today, Luan applies what he learned here in his career and wants to continue specializing. In addition, he dreams of giving back to the Institute’s students. That’s why, in this edition of Inside Ramacrisna, you know a little more about this story.

First contacts with Ramacrisna

“My story with Ramacrisna started before me,” he explains. Because his older brother, Pablo, was part of the Institute for a long time. From a student at the Ramacrisna Educational Support Center – CAER, to a computer course teacher.

Having his brother as an inspiration, Luan decided to follow the same path. At age 12, at CAER, Luan had his first direct contact with Ramacrisna.

“I was able to explore my imagination in a way that few places allowed. I remember participating in the theater group, I loved acting, and it’s a passion that I still carry and I want to return to,” he says.

In addition to theater, Luan discovered another passion: chess. And no wonder this has become his favorite game. In matches, he exercised his mind and even won matches against his teacher.

Later, in 2012, he joined Antenados Producer. “I learned a lot there, photography, cinematography, journalism, video editing and I believe that was where the first spark was lit so that I liked communication”, he recalls.

But it was not just that. It was also during his time at Antenados that he met Emerson, who was the producer’s coordinator at the time and who became a great friend of Luan’s. “He was the first person outside my family that I could open up to about my disability, talk about my frustrations. He cared about me, to know how I was, tried as hard as possible to understand how I saw and was always a friendly shoulder. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve unburdened myself with him,” he says.

Acceptance of disability

It wasn’t just Emerson who helped Luan understand his visual impairment. He also recalls an episode with teacher Nívia Ribeiro and how this conversation changed his life.

He remembers that the Portuguese Teacher explained the meaning of the word disabled. She also made it clear that Luan’s vision was not efficient, but that the student was extremely capable. “I don’t know if it was her direct yet loving approach that captivated me, but that changed my life. By not accepting what I really was, I pulled myself down and she made me face it in a different way,” he says.

Another great friend is Suelen, her partner at Antenados. She was the one who, during exhibitions and festivals, guided him and helped him in very dark environments – where it is more difficult to see.

“Without my saying a word, she would intertwine her hand in mine and guide me, not in a way that made me feel small, but just the same. She became a sister to me. Today, I think of the number of angels that Ramacrisna put in my life”, he says.

Facing prejudices

It was also during his time at Ramacrisna that Luan learned that overcoming his difficulties was the best way to face prejudice.

In his first computer class, he had problems typing his name, which generated jokes among his classmates and left him frustrated.

But the teacher started to pay more attention to the student, with more tasks. Gradually, Luan began to follow the class and get very good at it. Result: at the end of the year, he helped teach other students and developed the ability to type without looking at the keyboard.

“I think it was the first time I adapted and found that although my vision limited me, there were other ways. The Institute welcomed me in a way that no other place has welcomed me before. However, I like to think that I also taught them to deal with people like me“, he concludes.

Young apprentice

But the story is not just about overcoming disability. Luan participated in several projects that helped him choose his career.

As a scholarship holder and apprentice at Antenados, Luan did pre-production of the production’s works, helped in the classes at Escola Multimídia, was responsible for blog posts and took care of all the programming.

It was also in Ramacrisna that he had greater contact with writing, with his passage as a library assistant. “It was at this time that I discovered the eBook, I fell in love with reading and, today, I’m also on my way as a writer,” he says.

In 2016, he followed a group from Liverpool Hope University, even without mastering English. Afterwards, he took part in the Ramacrisna English Course in partnership with the US Embassy in Minas Gerais and methodology by Number One.

“I remember spending sleepless nights studying because I wanted to grab that opportunity with all my strength. It’s funny to think that one year before I barely knew how to introduce me in English and one year later I was an interpreter. Today, in addition to my role as an attendant at the Institute, I am also the translator of important projects and documents“, he declares.

Next steps

In addition to being an attendant and translator at Ramacrisna, Luan has also published some stories and prepares an anthology of short stories.

He also dreams of studying Digital Marketing and being able to work in the area within the Institute, as a way to give back all the learning.

“I don’t see myself without Ramacrisna. The Institute has placed real angels in my path. The Ramacrisna Institute is the most important place in my life. I really love this place and hope to continue contributing to it for many, many years to come!” he concludes.

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