Growing up was not easy because I live in a sighted world. Most folks wonder just how I do it and I tell them that it is easy. I just find other ways to do it. so many folks fail because it takes hard work to make it happen. I remember as a young lad, my parents made me keep trying even if I failed at first. Knowing that if I gave up, I would never try again. Such is the work habits of my Appalachian upbringings. I learned braille at an early age which really helped me to learn the letter press letters. while they are not the same, the touch and feel of the letters came easy. Hearing someone read what I just printed made me feel good knowing that sighted people would be able to understand what I was thinking. While most can not read braille, they can read the printed word. This makes me equal with most people.
I usually arrive early each day at the news paper to get ready for the print set. Most of the time I am writing about past events so the story is already in my head. Once the letter press is set, the presses start rolling. If your are wondering how I delivered the paper at an early age while being blind, it was easy. My father and then my younger brother helped me on the route but I could tell by sound and smell where I was most of the time. I usually delivered the papers in half the time because I was not distracted by things going on around me. Most people along my route didn’t even know I was blind which made for many funny stories. I guess you could say, I delivered by touch.
I usually arrive early each day at the news paper to get ready for the print set. Most of the time I am writing about past events so the story is already in my head. Once the letter press is set, the presses start rolling. If your are wondering how I delivered the paper at an early age while being blind, it was easy. My father and then my younger brother helped me on the route but I could tell by sound and smell where I was most of the time. I usually delivered the papers in half the time because I was not distracted by things going on around me. Most people along my route didn’t even know I was blind which made for many funny stories. I guess you could say, I delivered by touch.
