Houston's Blind Alligator Gives Visually Impaired Children A Classroom Lesson

Houston, TX — Children living with vision impairment have lots of obstacles to overcome, and their school days are spent dealing with different methods of learning designed to make their education as successful as possible. Technology play a big role, of course, but what about Halo the blind alligator?

Children attending summer camp at The Lighthouse of Houston — a non-profit focused on serving the needs of the visually impaired — got an up-close view of the little gator this weekend, and learned about his species and themselves.

"The children at the summer camp were so excited to meet, touch the alligators and to learn about alligators," Christy Kroboth, known as "Gator Girl," told the Houston Chronicle. "Teaching kids with vision difficulties is a lot harder then teaching your average person because you have to be very descriptive and have to try to paint the picture of the alligator into their minds."

"All the kids loved Halo simply because she is like them and has vision problems herself," she added.

Kroboth is a member of Houston's Gator Squad, which captures nuisance alligators and releases them in the wild. It also educates the public about the often misunderstood animals. Kroboth takes Halo to events and organizations in the Houston area as a way of introducing people to the reptiles, which are abundant in the area.

See the story at the Houston Chronicle

— Image: A young man holds Halo at The Lighthouse of Houston as Christy Kroboth supervises. (Courtesy The Gator Squad)