The Braille Institute announced on Monday that a group of visually impaired seniors who have been taking a seven-week self-defense classes with martial arts instructor Teri Coffee McDuffie will be showing off what they learned at an October 16 open house. The public is invited to the institute at 2031 De La Vina St. on Thursday, October 16, at 1 p.m. to see the graduates in action.
McDuffie has 25 years of martial arts training and is a fifth-degree black belt. She has trained women in self-defense for 20 years. The goal for her class was to empower the students and help them feel more prepared, less vulnerable. A 73-year-old student was quoted in a Braille Institute press release as benefiting from her experience: “I need to learn to be able to take care of myself. Thank you for Teri, who has given me self confidence,” she said.