By Missionnewswire.org, May 12, 2025

Law student attends classes with guide dog

BRAZIL

(MissionNewswire) Nicole Vital, a new law student at Don Bosco Catholic University in Campo Grande, Brazil, has her faithful guide dog, Olinda, a two-year-old Labrador, with her at school. Olinda is the first guide dog to attend the university, supporting Vital throughout her law studies. Vital was born with reduced vision due to optic nerve atrophy and lost her sight completely 10 years ago.

“A guide dog is essential for my mobility,” Vital explained. “It allows me to move with greater agility. The dog is classified as a working tool, but it is also crucial for my socialization.”

Vital was selected through a free program organized by the Catarinense Federal Institute, which pairs visually impaired individuals with trained guide dogs.

Legislation guarantees visually impaired individuals the right to enter and remain in any public-access environment with their guide dog. At the Salesian university the Psycho-pedagogical Support Center assists students with special needs, providing educational support and inclusive strategies in the classroom. Vital’s classmates have welcomed Olinda’s presence and adapted well.

“It’s a very positive experience because Olinda is calm and does not disrupt classes. She lies next to Nicole and helps her. It is an important form of inclusion,” explained student Laura Pedro.

Salesian missionaries in Brazil provide education, workforce development and social services throughout the country and specifically focus on children with disabilities within several programs. Missionaries help to meet the basic needs of poor youth, including street children, and provide them with an education and life skills to gain employment, break the cycle of poverty and lead productive lives.

According to the World Bank, the COVID-19 pandemic had a devastating impact on Brazil with poverty tripling in 2021. Nearly 17 million people fell into poverty in the first quarter of the year and the poverty rate now is higher than it was a decade ago. Researchers estimate that 12.8% of Brazil’s population, some 27 million people, are now living below the poverty line.