Calvin

This weekend I accompanied a small group of individuals in painting the interior of a house off of Troost Street in Kansas City. The house belonged to a man named Calvin who is deaf, blind and unable to speak. We had the opportunity to meet Calvin before he was taken out of the house and I could not get Calvin out of my head as I worked or since then.

Calvin was born blind and deaf. He is also an African-American who grew up during the civil rights era. Calvin's parents died while he was still very young, so here was this young, deaf and blind black kid with no family and no one who was willing to take care of him. Calvin was sent to various institutions until he had the great fortune of attending the Helen Keller Learning Center in New York. When Calvin returned from NY, he had no home or place to go, so he ended up living on the streets. Finally, he was found by individuals who helped him find a home which he now owns, and has for thirteen years. Calvin is forty-six years old.

As I painted this man's home I almost came to tears. I can only imagine how difficult it would be to be bind or to be deaf…but blind AND deaf….I don't know how I would survive. Granted, that is all Calvin has known. It would be a different story for me to lose my sight and hearing after being blessed with it for twenty-one years. Calvin will never know the beauty of a sunset, will never know how gorgeous his home has become, and will never be able to communicate what he does know about or what he thinks about.

Here is another devastating part of the story. Calvin is just now, at 46 years old, learning how to somewhat communicate. He never had the money, nor the opportunity to learn to communicate. The only way he knows that it is time to do something is by the objects placed in his hands. When its time to eat, he is given a plate. When it is time to sleep, he is handed pajamas. He knows these objects by their shape and texture. So, other people can communicate something to Calvin, but the other way around is more complicated and nearly impossible.

Calvin doesn't know how to tell someone that he doesn't feel good, that he is hungry, that he needs…well, anything. He doesn't know about life and death. He doesn't know where the people that have been in his life have gone. He doesn't know what the world is like. He lives in a life of darkness. 

I may be making this way more negative than it needs to be…that particular way of life is all he knows and he may be absolutely content with it…I was just hit hard today with the knowledge of how incredibly fortunate I am. I have no birth defects, I was born in a free country, I come from a middle-class white family who loves me more than anything, I have had the opportunity to attend exceptional educational institutions….I really can't complain about anything.

Rachel, a twenty-four year old from the Troost/Paseo area of Kansas City, worked with us this weekend. Rachel has been working with Calvin for four years. She has appointed herself as Calvin's family since he has none. Rachel is currently working on her MBA in Nonprofit Administration. Inspired by her friend, Rachel wants to start a home for mentally handicapped individuals in her neighborhood. The individuals who cannot afford to be taken care of.

People like Calvin and Rachel inspire me. They have so much less and do so much more with it. I don't know how many times I will have to be amazed by and reminded of this, but it really is awe-inspiring and makes you think.