I am watching Governor David Paterson of New York, giving his state of the State message in Albany, New York. I am just blown away at watching the first legally blind African American Governor of New York make his presentation - without notes or a teleprompter. How does he achieve this level of excellence as a visually impaired professional? Here is his story per Wikipedia:
"At the age of three months, Paterson contracted an ear infection which spread to his optic nerve, leaving him with no sight in his left eye and severely limited vision in his right. Since New York City public schools would not guarantee him an education without placing him in special education classes, his family bought a home in the Long Island suburb of Hempstead so that he could attend mainstream classes there. Paterson was the first disabled student in the Hempstead public schools, and graduated from Hempstead High School in 1971.
Paterson received a BA in history from Columbia University in 1977 and a law degree from Hofstra Law School in 1983. After law school, he went to work for the Queens District Attorney's Office, but was unable to complete the New York bar examination, and so did not become an attorney at law. He attributed his failing the New York bar to insufficient accommodation for his visual impairment, and has since advocated for changes in bar exam procedures."
This man must know the secrets of the power of imagination!
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