The Red and Black

Issue date: 2/18/08 Section: Variety

"I had planned to go on a similar trip to Mexico, but plans fell through," Walsh said. When I heard about Kerry's trip to Peru through a listserv I was immediately interested."

Utilizing his teaching experience, Walsh spent his time at a local school for the blind and developmentally disabled. To teach music to blind students, he arranged drum circles and had the children listen to the beats he played and repeat them back to him.

In order to talk about geometric relationships with a blind geometry teacher, Walsh cut out 3-D shapes for him to handle. The teacher then took what Walsh discussed with him and proceeded to teach his students the same lessons.

At the conclusion of his work at the school, the students put on a program featuring musical performances, poetry and dancing.

One student who was especially proficient in English aided some of the other students in their study of the language. Speaking about the

program, Walsh said the whole experience was "absolutely moving."

"People (in America) take so much for granted, to them it was a whole different level of gratitude you just don't see in America," Walsh said.

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