An Olympic athlete, singer, artist and author recently visited the TKU Tamsui Campus. Lena Maria was born in Sweden with no arms and one leg half the length of the other. She was invited to Taiwan to attend the Republic of China’s centennial celebrations. During her stay, she only made one visit to a Taiwanese university, coming to the TKU Center of Resources for the Blind on October 12. At TKU, she took part in an informal discussion and commended Tamkang for the strong emphasis it places on the blind and disabled.

Lena Maria came to the attention of the world in 2001 after publishing her life story. She has won numerous Paralympics gold medals in swimming, released several CDs and now regularly travels around the world giving talks that motivate disabled and able-bodied audiences alike. Her talk at the Center of Resources for the Blind was more intimate than her usual large-scale speeches. Lena Maria firstly introduced herself to the students and shared some of her own personal life experiences. The students who attended then introduced themselves and asked the guest speaker questions about her lifestyle and the education system in Sweden.

After the talk, Lena Maria took a tour of the facilities in the center, such as the specialized computers for blind students and the customer service center.