Seeing beyond disability
Visually impaired Normand Richard writes book
Normand Richard may be visually impaired but he can clearly see beyond his disability. How he has dealt with his impairment and found hope in darkness is the focus of his first book, “Courage to Spare – The Man With the White Cane,” which was launched this month.
At 14 years old, Richard, found his eyesight deteriorating drastically.
“I finished Grade 8 and started Grade 9 at Evangeline Education Centre,” said Richard. “But school was difficult for me because I struggled with my vision.”
Richard dropped out of school in Grade 9 and started work at a service station.
“I was prescribed glasses, but they didn’t help, so my parents took me to various specialists to obtain an accurate diagnosis,” he said. “At 34 years old, I was finally diagnosed with optic nerve damage.”
He can only see light and shadows.
Despite his visual impairment, Richard worked at the service station for 29 years. He went back to school and passed a Grade 12 equivalency General Educational Development (GED) test. He joined the Royal Canadian Air Cadets and piloted an aircraft – twice. He learned
braille. He volunteered.
“My cousin told me to live my life like other people, and since that conversation I have strived to have a normal life while adjusting to my disability.” With the help and support of family and friends, Richard put pen to paper and recently completed his first book about his life, living with a disability.
He said, “I never thought I would write a book about my life but I’m happy I did it, and
I hope it opens the eyes of the community on disability.”
All proceeds from the sale of Richard’s book will be donated to the Repairs and Renovations Fund for the Notre-Dame-Du-Mont-Carmel Church, where Richard volunteers his time. The book launch and signing took place at the Mont-Carmel Parish Centre on May 14. Since the launch date was Mother’s Day, “I have dedicated my book to my mother who
passed away in 2012,” commented Richard.
He will be holding another book signing event at the Tignish Co-op (in the corridor that links the store to the Tignish Credit Union) on Wednesday, June 7, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. He concluded, “You don’t need to stop enjoying life just because you have a disability.”