I'M BEGINNING TO SEE THE LIGHT

This story should make you glad you can read it. Not every person is sighted. 12/21/2016

I’M BEGINNING TO SEE THE LIGHT

After my brother Jim became legally blind in the late ‘80s, he subscribed to the Library of Congress Talking Books Program. He enjoyed listening to the audio cassettes this service provided. In turn, this led to my decision to become a volunteer for the organization, Recording for the Blind in 1993.

RFB was founded in 1948 to aid blind veterans of WW II who wished to attend college under the provisions of the G.I. Bill. Its mission is to provide audio versions of textbooks for students who are unable to access standard print. Volunteer readers must pass a voice test and be knowledgeable about the subject matter before they are allowed to serve as readers. I passed the voice test readily, but it took quite an effort on my part to read subjects like algebra and trigonometry, subjects I had studied fifty years earlier.

Creating audio versions of textbooks is both labor intensive and time consuming. Volunteers are required to read the entire textbook including the introduction, the bibliography, footnotes, and margin notes. In addition, the reader must also describe maps, graphs, charts, and diagrams as they appear. Many textbooks can be completed in months, while some very technical books, especially those in the medical field, can take upwards of a year to complete.

RFB grew significantly. Before the year 2000, it changed its name to Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic, as most of its clients are dyslexic, not blind. Many technological changes have been incorporated into the process of recording. Computer programs allow readers to record books in digital format, distributed to clients on compact disks. In some instances, the publishers allow books to be scanned and read using synthetic voices, then downloaded directly to computers and other media devices. The future looks bright for students who need this help to achieve their academic dreams.

I finally had a chance to hear first hand from a student who had benefited from our service. I attended a Volunteers Appreciation Luncheon at the Phoenix Country Club on April 23, 1994, and heard Erik Weihenmayer speak. He exhibited some momentary nervousness, as he had never spoken in public before. With each sentence, he began to exude more self confidence. By the time he ended, he had enraptured the audience.

Erik said he had been born with limited vision but became totally blind by the time he reached eighth grade. He grew up in Princeton, but graduated from Boston College. He currently teaches fifth grade students Math and English at Phoenix Country Day school, and is their wrestling coach, a sport in which he competed while in college. For many years he accompanied his family on adventurous vacations. He trekked up the Andes to explore ancient Incan ruins, hiked through primitive areas of New Guinea, climbed the rugged mountain passes of Pakistan, and went to other exotic and remote regions of the world, not as a rich tourist but as an adventurer.

Erik appeared on TV the week before in a public service announcement that showed him scaling the face of a rocky cliff. He reaches the summit and then faces the camera. Not until then does the audience learn Erik is blind.

For the better part of a half hour Erik held the luncheon audience of volunteers absolutely spellbound as he related to us the circumstances surrounding his blindness, and how RFBD had provided him with the books he needed to pursue his education. Like many blind students, he learned Braille, but once he listened to an audio cassette of an adventure yarn his grade school teacher gave him, he became an ardent reader. He has listened to hundreds of audio textbooks.

He regaled us with anecdotes and personal experiences that demonstrated his wit and intellect. “I carried my RFBD tapes with me on all my journeys around the globe. I want you to know that I could not have succeeded without you.”

There were few dry eyes in the audience when he ended his presentation.

I shook his hand afterwards and told him: You are the only blind person of whom I am jealous. Years later, he told me he had never forgotten my words.

My service to RFBD went beyond recording textbooks. The Executive Director of the Unit surprised me one day by asking me to become a board member. Erik also joined our board. I had the pleasure of driving him and his guide dog to many of our meetings. We lost touch when he moved to Colorado in order to train for his planned climb of Mt. McKinley. I worried that he might not overcome this challenge. He proved me and many others wrong.

I never forgot Erik. How could I? He went on to become the first blind person to climb Mt. Everest. He attained celebrity status, appearing on many national TV shows.

It should come as no surprise to learn that his marriage took place atop Mt. Kilimanjaro. Now the father of two children, he continues to be an adventurer and a motivational speaker. Whether it is climbing the tallest mountains on all five continents, leading other blind people to reach new heights, or riding a tandem bicycle the length of the Vietnam Trail, he is always proving that so-called handicapped people can achieve great feats. Erik set a high standard.

RFBD hopes that other students who benefit from its services will succeed and climb equally high in whatever endeavor they pursue. I reached the heights when SRP awarded me a plaque commemorating my years of service to RFBD at their 2002 Karl F. Abel Volunteer of the Year award luncheon. Thank goodness, the recognition did not leave me speechless, and I continue to read textbooks.

Erik appeared at Chaparral High School on February 18, 2010, to show the movie that features him climbing Mt. Everest. Before leaving, I took the opportunity to speak with him. I said, “Hello, Erik, this is Joe.”

“Joe! How are you? How are all the folks at the Phoenix studio?”

We chatted about old times for a minute or so, and I introduced him to my wife, Angie, and my daughter, Carol.

“Stay in touch” he said as others came by to have their picture taken with him.

His gracious request touched me. With his legion of friends, he actually remembered me after all those years.

He remains the only blind person of whom I am jealous.

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