Day 9: Is your Dream Big Enough?

When I first met Dean he had less than 10% eye vision. Nope that's not much but it was enough to read his text books and computer screen via a two inch thick magnifying glass. It was a long and tedious task for him to read a section of his text and then type it into his computer and then try and read what he had written via this method. For me it was as if I had gone back in time and I was watching the ancient Egyptian scribes tap out a scene of hieroglyphics on the side of a tomb, it was such an arduous task to behold. Yes, my blind man completed an environmental science degree in our first 3 years of marriage. 

Interesting to some he travel to North Queensland with his university group learning about landscapes, animals, sea life and habitats. When he came back home it was as though I was sleeping next to David Attenborough as he was full of animal facts and stories that he shared about the wildlife he had encountered. He camped in the Northern NSW hinterland to trap native animals and tag and release them, taking data and reporting the data to the university. Like a navy seal he dived to the bottom of the water storage dam taking water samples at different levels and wrote reports on his findings. So many incredible experiences my blind man participated in with his utter ability to go beyond what people would consider him to not even consider.

In Dean's final year of his science degree he wrote and published a report on the effects of sea level rise on coastal urban environments. This young man had me amazed at his ability to use all of his other senses  to conquer any fear that may have stopped others even fully sighted people from achieving. Deano has vision and his vision is in the form of a dream that he will achieve. Dean makes dreams his reality. 
I have heard them say if you can visualise it you can have it. Where your focus goes energy flows and this has been true for this blind man with huge vision.

Deano Graduating his First Degree in 1994 

It was around ten years after his first degree  that Deano decided he would go back to university. There was a  huge change in teaching and learning styles over that ten years. It was during this time the Internet was produced and there were some major advances in technology assisting the blind to know what was on the computer screen. This is where we were first introduced to a programs called jaws. The program read nearly everything Dean research on the computer. However this technical advancement was not available for the first 2 years of his second round of studying so I had the task of reading to my blind man. 

The Blindman and his girls on his graduation day

As Deano had some residual vision, the more difficult subject matter, like business maths and statistics, I was able to re-write on a white board large enough for him to read. It certainly was both a laborious and tedious process. Algebra was never a strong point but hey when I have ever used it since. Perhaps they make you do it to program the brain to think another way. How do you discuss what some of these symbols look like to a blind man? My description of the value pie went something like this "A soccer goal post with a bent cross bar on top" and the symbol for infinity is an "eight lying on its side." It felt like I was now the Egyptian scribe tapping away at the stone wall. All I can say is when we sat our exams the Blindman got a high distinction and the Blindmans wife got a distinction...I would have thought it would have been the other way around because I rewrote the text. Just goes to show that just because you can't see it certainly doesn't equate to not understanding. 

It still amazes me today that my man got right through high school never being able to see the black board. Only with the help of a good friend, Steven Viney, who read all the details to him that he could not see, was Deano able to complete his schooling years. My man always sings the praises of his mate who without such a sacrifice of service, he would never had made it through high school.

Our accounting lecturer said to me once"I don't see how Dean will use this information if he can't even see" I commented back to him " Don't underestimate this man. He can do anything I know I have seen it first hand" Others would have been insulted or even taken his words to heart but not us. The words felt like someone was laying down a challenge that we were set to prove him wrong. 

Today Deano does all the invoicing for our company, he manages our budget and negotiates deals. This blind man had a dream and he is living it. Now he has started to share his passion for life with others through a new network marketing venture. It's not something he would have ever tried before so we will see where this exciting path takes us. That's what life's all about isn't it. Challenging ourselves, growing in the face of adversity and helping others along the way.

Blindman Deano on his graduation day of his Business Accounting Degree 2009