LOUISVILLE, Ky. — For 33 years, a Louisville teacher has lived out her dream.

“I was one of those kids that played school when I was little,” said vision teacher Maria Jones, who teaches 15 students at eight different schools across Jefferson County Public Schools. “I can’t remember a time where I did not want to be a teacher.” 

On this morning, Jones taught two students at Lyman T. Johnson Traditional Middle School.

“I was born with, and when I was very young, my cataracts were removed,” Jones said. “When your cataracts are removed, they also remove the lens in your eyes. Your lens is something that you definitely need. And if you don’t have that, you have to have some form of artificial lens.” 

Jones lives with Aphakia, which, according to the Cleveland Clinic, refers to having no lens in the eye. 

“I’m not a blind person,” Jones said. “I’m a person who is blind or visually impaired.” 

That small change is thought to create a new definition of how she plans to live.

“I think it’s important to learn from a very young age to be independent, to work hard,” she said. “I can’t think of any other way of living my life.” 

Jones is living her life, working and contributing back to society, no matter the obstacle. 

“Don’t let your disability hold you back from anything that you aspire to do, and I just keep encouraging that,” Jones said.

She described a time when she had a college professor who told her she couldn’t teach. 

“[The professor said], ‘You can’t be in a classroom full of 25 kids and do it,’” Jones said. “And I walked away from her, and I said, ‘Watch me.’” 

She did just that. Jones taught a class the following year with 26 students, and that became the starting point of living out her dream.

Teaching at multiple schools, Jones schedules her travel using the paratransit service TARC 3 to get around town and to her classes.