Tarlac State University opens doors to first blind students

TARLAC CITY — The Tarlac State University welcomed its first two visually impaired students as it implemented its inclusivity policy on Friday afternoon, July 10.

Marvin David Gamasa, 20, who is pursuing a Bachelor of Secondary Education major in English, and Andrie Helric Pangilinan, 18, who plans to take up a Bachelor of Arts in Communication, qualified for TSU’s scholarship program for the differently abled and will receive P7,000 per semester.

They also received a P2,000 book allowance and a P5,000 stipend each for the first semester of Academic Year 2026–2027.

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Gamasa, an honor student at Sto. Cristo Integrated School in the city, said he wants to be referred to as a “Person with Dreams” rather than a “Person with Disability.”

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His 61-year-old mother, Gina, said her youngest son frequently joins singing contests and excels in his studies.

“He can match students in conventional classes, usually ending up with high honors, and his average grade is 90. I trust he can cope well because he is friendly and he wanted to study at TSU where many completed their degrees as topnotchers,” she said in Filipino.

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Gamasa has participated in regional braille-reading competitions and won gold medals in singing contests during National Disability Rights Week.

Gina said she will spend the next few weeks helping her child adjust to the campus and get to know tricycle drivers whom she can entrust with taking him to and from school.

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“I feel I can be more creative on campus, much like during my years in grade school. All I need is courage,” Gamasa said in Filipino.

“I don’t expect special treatment, but I will need reasonable accommodation,” he added.

Pangilinan, meanwhile, is a Paralympic athlete who has competed in the Central Luzon Athletic Association Meet three times and won gold medals in the 100-meter dash.

TSU President Dr. Jasper Jay Mendoza said he intends to hire Gamasa after he graduates and passes the licensure examination because the university plans to offer a Bachelor of Special Needs Education (BSNEd) program.

“You would be the first blind teacher at TSU,” Mendoza told Gamasa.

Mendoza said his vision is to build an inclusive university that serves as a venue for learning for marginalized sectors and differently abled students, an idea he has pursued since serving as dean of the College of Education.

Allan Santos, head of TSU’s International, Differently Abled, Indigenous, and Marginalized Student Services (IDIMSS), said the university is using NonVisual Desktop Access to assist its first blind students, who will also be able to use the office as a lounge and print documents there.

TSU also supports seven neurodivergent students, who have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or ADHD, and autism, through a partnership with an Australian firm that developed digital support systems for neurodivergent individuals, including the Focus Bear app.

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TSU is also strengthening its partnership with Kakamay Movement Organization to break communication barriers by institutionalizing Filipino Sign Language and turning the campus into a deaf-ready university. /mcm