With Support from DPSCD’s ‘Exceptional Student Education’ Program, One Cass Tech Sophomore Is Redefining What It Means to Thrive

Zaraiyah Bell, a 15-year-old Cass Technical High School sophomore who is blind, is excelling as a musician, athlete, and honor student through the support of Detroit Public Schools' Exceptional Student Education (ESE) program. A skilled pianist and soprano with perfect pitch, she's performed at major venues including the Fox Theatre and downtown's Tree Lighting ceremony, while also competing as a sprinter. Her teachers and mentors emphasize that her success stems from her natural intelligence and determination rather than her disability, though Zaraiyah sometimes feels people overattribute her accomplishments to her blindness rather than her work ethic.

Looking ahead, Zaraiyah hopes to improve her GPA and continue pushing herself academically and artistically. She also aspires to eventually work with underprivileged teens, providing them with access to music as a therapeutic outlet—a mission reflecting both her grandfather's musical legacy at Cass Tech and her belief that young people deserve safe spaces to express themselves. The ESE program operates on the principle of reframing students' unique needs as exceptionalities rather than limitations, providing specialized instruction, mobility training, and assistive technology to help students like Zaraiyah reach their full potential.