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Transcript of Parker Moore Video

Narrator 1: A girl with long, light brown hair.

Parker Moore: I want to invent things, I want to write, I want to play musical instruments.

Narrator 2: Parker Moore sees plenty of possibilities in her future. Even at 11 years old, this bright, energetic fifth grader is constantly contemplating what’s next.

Parker: Ooh! I want to go to college!

Narrator 2: Parker, of Little Rock, Arkansas, was born with bilateral optic nerve hypoplasia, a rare condition that attacks the optic nerve and has left Parker with the ability to see only light. She cannot see colors or shapes.

Narrator 1: Photos of Parker reading braille and using a braille typewriter.

Narrator 2: She attends The Arkansas School for the Blind, uses a cane, and is an accomplished braille reader. She is a top student with a wildly vivid imagination, which includes everything from wanting to invent things, to dreaming of a way to get inside people’s minds.

Parker: I would open the door to a lot of people’s imaginations and stuff, so I can see what’s going on in there.

Narrator 2: Parker is very close to her mom, Shelly Moore, her stepdad, John, and her sighted sister, Reagan. Shelly teaches at the same school that Parker attends and she’s a big supporter of her daughter’s onstage talents, whether it’s a stint as the blind girl in “The Miracle Worker,” or her appearance in this production, shot on home video, of “The Wizard of Oz.”

Narrator 1: Parker stands at a microphone onstage.

Parker: [Singing] Somewhere over the rainbow blue birds fly…

Narrator 2: Parker has been singing since she was a toddler and she’s quite proud of her voice. When we asked her to sing, she responded ike a Grammy winner.

Parker: Hang on, I think I need a drink of water.

Narrator 2: Then came Sarah’s song from “Hocus Pocus.”

Parker: [Singing] Come little children I’ll take thee away into a land of enchantment…

Narrator 2: We asked Parker where she gets her talent from.

Parker: No idea! I just have it.

Narrator 2: Parker is quite matter-of-fact at describing how blindness affects her life. She admits being at parties with sighted friends who are receiving gifts can sometimes pose a challenge. She recalls what happened at friend Alexa’s tea party.

Parker: She opened presents and no one actually screamed, but they were like, “Ooh, that’s cool!” or “Ooh, that’s pretty.” I’m like, “What is it?” And someone usually explained it was a Barbie or a movie.

Narrator 2: Parker has some advice for parents who are raising children with visual impairments.

Parker: So don’t worry, just treat them like normal kids. Make them clean their rooms and don’t — I mean, just be like my mom. She’s tough and if you do something bad, you’ll get into trouble. Don’t be too soft and don’t keep them back.

Narrator 1: Photos of Parker ice skating with her sister, and practicing violin at home.

Narrator 2: Encouragement has filled Parker with confidence and optimism. She’s now taking violin lessons. Seeing her on stage leaves little doubt about the power of believing, or the possibilities created by saying “I can.”

Parker: [Singing] Why, oh why, can’t… Why can’t I?

[Clapping from audience]