Subject: DISABILITY OVERCOME A man born blind and diagnosed with autism at age 5 is proving to the
world that his disabilities will never limit him from achieving greatness. Tony DeBlois has an amazing story. At only two years old, Tony played "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" on a small organ that his mother had bought at a yard sale. It shocked his mother, who knew that her son's mental abilities were affected in some way. It was later determined that Tony possesses a rare mind and is considered to be a musical savant. Tony attended the Perkins School for the Blind in Massachusetts where he took lessons and learned to play many of the instruments in his incredible repertoire. Tony's mother noticed that he was having difficulty with motor skills when doing simple tasks. So she taught him how to brush his teeth by asking him to pretend that he was playing the violin. He learned to brush his hair by playing the drums. Eventually, he was awarded a scholarship to the Berklee School of Music and later graduated summa cum laude. While he is very humble about his education and his talents, he is referred to as a prodigious savant, essentially an autistic genius. Considering the circumstances, it would be difficult to disagree. DeBlois, now 36 years old, can play a total of 22 instruments, leads a jazz band, and has recorded 6 CDs of his work. To access the original article, please go to http://www.enterprisenews.com/lifestyle/x1672004061/Musician-proves-blindness-autism-are-no-barriers-to-success ********* Kim Peek is probably a man that few have heard of before. As obscure as his name may be, he was actually the inspiration for Dustin Hoffman's autistic savant character in the award-winning1988 movie, Rain Man. Mr. Peek recently passed away at the age of 58. Peek was truly an incredible man. While he himself was not an autistic savant, his brain harbored abnormalities which made it function very similarly to someone with that mental condition. Like many in his position, he possessed a fascinating mind, capable of operating at very high levels in certain fields. In Mr. Peek's case, his memory was other worldly. When he was nine months old, doctors felt that he was so mentally retarded that he would hardly be able to walk, let alone function in any normal capacity. However, at just six years old, he had memorized the first eight volumes of a set of encyclopedias owned by his family. At fourteen, he had completed a high school curriculum with the help of a private tutor. Peek was able to read a book two pages at a time, one with each eye. With this skill, he reportedly read nearly twelve thousand volumes in his lifetime. Even more amazing was that he could remember everything he read. "Mr. Peek had memorized so many Shakespearean plays and musical compositions and was such a stickler for accuracy, his father said, that they had to stop attending performances because he would stand up and correct the actors or the musicians. "He'd stand up and say: 'Wait a minute! The trombone is two notes off,' " Fran Peek said." Peek also knew all of the area and zip codes in the United States and could recite all of the television stations serving those areas. He would also memorize the maps in the front of phone books and was able to give directions in any major U.S. city with staggering detail. He could also identify hundreds of classical music compositions and give details about the tonality in each, as well as delving into stunning detail regarding the biographical information of the composer. Kim Peek was the definition of amazing. A man who doctors predicted would hardly walk ended up possessing one of the most amazing minds for facts and the arts that we've ever known. He is truly an inspiration to anyone who was dealt a challenge from the start. To read the original article, please go to http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/27/us/27peek.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2 ******** Back in October of 2009, an amazing record was set by Hein Wagner, a blind motivational speaker. Wagner, a daredevil at heart, has set the world record for the fastest speed ever driven in an automobile by a blind person. In 2005, Wagner set the record in a Maserati Grand Sport and was able to sustain a speed of 167 miles per hour during that time. However, not entirely satisfied, Wagner wanted to go bigger and hit that 200 mile per hour milestone that every extreme driver dreams about. With the help of a brand new Mercedes Benz SL65 Black Series, which has a twin turbo V12 engine producing a staggering 661 horsepower, Wagner was able to reach his goal. Representatives from Guinness World Records were on hand to confirm this momentous occasion. In order to hold the record, Wagner needed to sustain his speed for no less than one thousand meters. With his co-driver at his side, Wagner accomplished this multiple times with a sustained speed of 200.4 miles per hour on the tarmac of a South African airport. At that speed, his car was traveling the equivalent of one football field per second. Traveling at those speeds is no easy task for a sighted person. By not allowing his disability to hinder his goals, Wagner put his foot to the floor and raced into the record books. To read the original article, please go to http://www.topspeed.com/cars/car-news/blind-man-sets-a-world-speed-record-at-over-200-mph-in-a-mercedes-sl65-amg-black-series-ar80105.html ******* Geoff Holt is no ordinary sailor. The 42 year old man just completed a trip that few people can lay claim to. Geoff sailed solo across the Atlantic Ocean from Lanzarote to the British Virgin Islands, arriving on December 10, 2009. Oh, and Geoff is a quadriplegic. Geoff was paralyzed 25 years ago when diving into shallow water and has been relegated to a wheelchair ever since. In 2007, he became the first quadriplegic to sail around Britain. However, having sailed across the Atlantic prior to his accident, he decided to return, sailing his now-incorrectly named boat "Impossible Dream". By using a series of hydraulic winches, Geoff was able to control the boat as any able bodied person would. Despite the fact that he experienced engine troubles and terribly light winds during portions of his trip, he made it to the Virgin Islands unscathed and with an irremovable smile on his face. Mr. Holt now holds the record for being the only quadriplegic to complete this particular journey and his sheer determination and unwavering drive to complete his goal will serve as an inspiration to anyone with or without sea legs. To access the original article, please go to http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/hampshire/8445668.stm ******* SCIENCE During the summer of 2008, 12 sighted and 12 visually impaired students with the Grand Canyon Youth program participated in an acoustic research study done in Grand Canyon National Park to determine the makeup and possible deterioration of the surrounding soundscape. Essentially, a soundscape is the combination of natural and man-made sounds that can be heard in different places throughout the park. Teamed up in pairs of sighted and visually impaired students, the groups used a series of hand signals to communicate back and forth. The visually impaired students would use their heightened sense of hearing to gather acoustic data and then relay that data to their sighted partner using those hand signals. The study is the first of its kind it that area due to the otherwise costly and time consuming effort it would require. The blind students reported hearing natural sounds like the river, thunder storms in the distance, rocks falling, even insect chirps. They also heard airplane propellers, jets, and helicopters. While this survey may seem unnecessary to some, it's important to have this data to measure the amount of noise pollution that is affecting natural soundscapes. By using visually impaired students, they can become a seriously important part of the research being done in the national park and have the opportunity to learn about soundscape preservation and how much it affects the entire experience someone would have when going through the park. The project went so well, that they planned another in the summer of 2009 and will most likely continue to work with the Grand Canyon Youth again in 2010. To access the original article, please go to http://www.nature.nps.gov/ParkScience/index.cfm?Page=1 ******* ______ Please feel free to pass your comments, feedbacks & new ideas to the below menntioned contact details. Email: saravanan.ramado...@gmail.com saravanan_2...@hotmail.com ******* The harder the conflicts, the more glorious the triumph - Thomas Paine. True friendship consists not inn multitude of friends, but in their worth and value - Ben Jonson. ###### Adieu. Saravanan.R $$$$$$$$$ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
