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Mom doesn't let vision impairment get in the way

At around 2 p.m. on Fridays, a dozen frazzled and thoroughly exhausted moms and dads pile on blue mats at Coquitlam's Place Maillardville, set their babies on their backs or fronts, and take a breather.

At around 2 p.m. on Fridays, a dozen frazzled and thoroughly exhausted moms and dads pile on blue mats at Coquitlam's Place Maillardville, set their babies on their backs or fronts, and take a breather.

For the 90 minutes they're together, they keep a close watch over their newborns - some sleeping, some fussing, some just hanging out - and feed them regularly as they chat, shaking their heads over sleep deprivation, nodding about shared experiences and, most of all, learning how to parent better.

But while the Baby's First Year drop-in program is nothing new in the Tri-Cities, what makes the Place Maillardville platform unique is its leader: a 44-year-old mother-of-two who happens to be visually impaired.

Declared legally blind in the seventh grade, Laila Cappellini has retinitis pigmentosa, a type of progressive retinal dystrophy that grew worse after her son was born 11 years ago. She blames stress and the overwhelming toll of raising two young children - with an age gap of 19 months - for shutting down her sight.

"Before I had him, there was light perception. I could see some movement," she said, "but it was a definite downturn after the second child came along."

Near total blindness forced her to quit her job of 17 years at the Cypress Child Centre on Cottonwood Avenue. And, for the past decade, "I've basically learned how to be a blind person."

Cappellini, who has her certificate in early childhood education, took courses for visually impaired people at the Vancouver Community College and signed up as a volunteer with the Seeing Caucus, a group of concerned citizens in B.C. working with the provincial government to improve services for the blind (part of her work is to assist with finding proper equipment for those in need).

She also volunteered at Place Maillardville before the community centre hired her this month to lead their two United Way-sponsored programs, which are free of charge to participants: Family Drop-in on Monday and Wednesday mornings, and Baby's First Year (formerly known as Moms and Babes) on Friday afternoons.

Along the way, Cappellini has learned to adapt, taking cues from a heightened sense of hearing. She spends time before each class setting up the room so she can navigate with her cane.

Parents help as well, stating their name and their baby's name clearly as they enter the room by foot or stroller.

Cappellini's memory is good: She can recall who is a return and who is new. And she looks forward to each session with them. "For our first class," she said, her face brightening, "we had a music teacher as a guest and the babies responded so well.... The classes are so good for networking. I learn a lot and I think parents get a lot out of them, too. It gives them a break."

But, most of all, Cappellini said, "I love bouncing the babies. That's my favourite part."

Baby's First Year runs on Fridays at Place Maillardville (1200 Cartier Ave., Coquitlam) from 1:45 to 3:15 p.m. for moms, dads and grandparents with children up to 12 months of age. The drop-in is free and runs until March 18.



Coming up

Feb. 4: Baby French with Valerie Roy (Place Maillardville French pre-school instructor)

Feb. 11: Valentine's Day spa (students from Gleneagle secondary's hairdressing program)

Feb. 18: Child safety with Jennifer Goodings (community police)

Feb. 25: Baby speech and language with Kelley Hibbert (Share)

March 4: Dental health with Linda Moon (Fraser Health)

March 11: Medicine and Babies with Penny Lehoux (London Drugs)

March 18: Free play and sing-a-long