At Beyond Blindness, Charlie McKay found friendship and a safe space in a tumultuous world.
For the last 4.5 years, Beyond Blindness has been a sanctuary for Kristin McKay and her son Charlie. Five days a week, she made an 80-mile roundtrip trek from Redondo Beach to bring the 5-year-old to his preschool classroom. “People always ask me why we do that, but the answer is simple,” she says. “It’s the best place Charlie could ever be.”
Born with a rare genetic disorder called Hunter Syndrome, Charlie experienced complications at 5 months old that caused his heart to stop for 35 minutes. As a result of this massive brain injury, he experienced vision loss and other ailments that left Kristin feeling lost, heartbroken and helpless.
Their Beyond Blindness early intervention teacher Tania was the first person to bring Kristin a glimmer of hope. Because of Tania’s encouragement during home-based therapy, Kristin decided to enroll Charlie in Beyond Blindness’ infant and toddler program.
They fell in love with the school immediately. Every week, he was greeted by new friends who would yell excitedly, “Charlie’s here! Charlie’s here!” Beyond Blindness teachers and staff cheered him on with every new accomplishment. They also provided equipment, hand-over-hand assistance and creative innovations that ensured he could participate in every activity.
“In a world where everyone else turns him away, where people just want to stop and ask, ‘What’s wrong with him?’, Beyond Blindness has built a world around Charlie where all he has known is love and acceptance,” Kristin says. “And while you are a special place for all of the kids you serve, for kids like Charlie that require so much assistance, you are the only place.”
In 2020 when Charlie first enrolled at Beyond Blindness, the classrooms were open only a few days a week. For the days Beyond Blindness was closed, Kristin sought out other daycares in Orange County who could work with Charlie’s needs — but quickly learned there were none. “It was hard hearing my son rejected over and over again,” Kristin said. “It made me worried that this would be his life, always outcasted and turned away. However, Beyond Blindness heard my pleas.”
Now open five days a week with infant, toddler and preschool classrooms, Beyond Blindness is an inclusive space for children of all abilities.
“For parents like me, who have spent quiet nights alone, terrified that our child won’t have friends and will get bullied, seeing Charlie surrounded by friends is a dream come true,” Kristin says. “It makes me so glad to know that those children will go into this world holding onto that perspective — they will forever be kind to other kids they meet with disabilities.”
