A moment ago, I was reading about Robert Smithdas, the first deaf and blind person ever to be awarded a master’s degree. After reading about him, I couldn’t help but think back to my time in college – how it could be difficult, how little ambition and drive I sometimes seemed to have and how I sometimes couldn’t wait for class to end so I could go out with friends – and I can’t help but feel a combination of personal shame (for having taken my experience of sight and sound for granted) and admiration. I can’t imagine learning what a word is without hearing or sight, let along combining words, word problems, math problems and all of the other things that Continue reading →