More than a million Americans are legally blind, and, according to the National Federation of the Blind, 5.5 million senior citizens in the country are blind or visually impaired. One in six Americans between the ages of 55 and 64 will lose their eyesight to macular degeneration, and one in three over the age of 75 will be stricken.
I discovered these startling figures when researching macular degeneration for our cover story about alumnus Yale Huffman, who lost his eyesight 16 years ago. I had never heard of the disease before meeting Yale. In fact, I have to admit that I never gave much thought to blindness at all. Now, I realize that could be me someday. Or, it could very well be you.
I was even more troubled by the realization that the University of Denver Magazine is not available to those who are blind or visually impaired. I couldn’t shake the irony. There I was, writing an article about blindness, but blind people wouldn’t be able to read it or anything else in the magazine. In my opinion, even one DU alumnus or student or friend who wants to read the magazine but can’t is one too many.
With help from University Disability Services and Penrose Library, beginning with this issue, the University of Denver Magazine will be available on tape for the blind and sight-impaired. They can borrow tapes directly from Penrose or order them from other libraries via interlibrary loan.
In addition to the magazine, DU’s monthly newspaper, The Source, also will be available on tape beginning in September.
My deepest thanks go to Yale for sharing his personal story of blindness and for helping DU make a change that, I hope, will enhance the lives of some forgotten members of the University of Denver family.