Spring — 2005

Justin McBride

Disabled Student Teacher

“I like working with the kids who—in addition to being just kids—have so much more weight on their shoulders. They need as much help as possible.”

Two things will strike you immediately when you first meet Justin McBride. The first thing is: The guy is big. The second thing is: The guy is very buff. There’s a third thing you might notice about him, but it takes a little longer to sink in. And then it registers: the white cane. The guy—big and buff as he is—is also blind.

He laughs right out loud when told he’s a heck of a physical specimen. “Who, me?” he says modestly. “I just walk around a lot.” But then he pauses and says, “Well, I do go surfing, too, with friends. They paddle out with me, get me all lined up, and shout when it’s time for me to jump on the wave. I mean, I don’t catch a lot of waves,” he adds with a chuckle. “But it’s just great to be out on the water.” It was during his teens that a tumor on his optic nerve gradually robbed Justin of his sight. “My parents were devastated, and my mom was more upset than I was. But I have a very visual memory of the world, and I remember color and everything. And I think that’s a real advantage,” he states. “I can help other blind people who’ve never seen, and sometimes explain things to them a little better.”

It’s Justin’s fervent goal to one day teach blind and disabled kids. “I’m going to feel very good about giving back some of all that’s been given to me in life,” he says. “Learning for me is now a whole ’nother ballgame.” Working as hard as he does “doesn’t leave me with much of a social life,” says Justin. “But I’m doing great with computers using the JAWS program, which actually speaks to me. And the assisted technology lab at SMC is fantastic. The people are the very best.”

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