Blind Skier Helps Other Veterans See What They Can Accomplish

Blind Skier Helps Other Veterans See What They Can Accomplish
by Joe Frollo Jr.

Left, SHOWING HIS METTLE Dave May, 57, of Canton received a National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic medal for participating in the annual event in Grand Junction, Colo. May, a 1968 Timken High School graduate, is legally blind but still enjoys cross country skiing, golf and other outdoor sports.

Most people feel butterflies when riding a ski lift for the first time.

The massive mountain. The white of the snow. A picturesque scene before you.

Dave May sees little of it. A 57-year-old disabled veteran with no central vision, May can’t see more than 3 or 4 feet in front of him without assistance. Still, that didn’t stop him from trying to ski for the first time 10 years ago…

“At the time, I thought I had made the biggest mistake of my life,” the Canton man said laughing. “I don’t have a lot of vision, but what I could see, boy was it pretty.”

May is now a regular every April at the annual National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic in Grand Junction, Colo. He has since tried cross-country skiing, snow-shoeing, curling and biathlon as well, all through the help of volunteers and instructors from the Department of Veteran Affairs and Disabled American Veterans.

“It’s about finding normality,” said. Dr. Rodney Haug, a clinical psychologist from Cheyenne, Wyo., who was May’s cross country skiing and snowshoe instructor. “It’s a little bit adventure, a lot of camaraderie. … It allows a sense of accomplishment that they know they can have, too, when they go back home.”

ALL ABOUT PERSPECTIVE

May said his self-conscious feelings left that first day when he saw other disabled veterans ready themselves.

“When you see triple amputees skiing or snowboarding, guys with spinal cord injuries, you count your blessings,” May said. “This last time in Colorado, we had 60-some Iraq veterans there, another 30 from the first Gulf War, mostly amputees. That is tough, watching the young guys come in. Blindness is nothing, especially compared to what they are going through.”

A 1968 Timken High School graduate, May began suffering from macular degeneration at age 24 while serving as an Army offset pressman. By 33, he was legally blind. He found comfort with those in a similar situation and became active in the DAV Alliance Chapter 50.

“I still remember that first special day when I sat down with the Cleveland VA Visual Impairment Services Team coordinator, and she explained how important it would be for me to go through blind rehab training,” May said. “Well, many thanks to the VA. Today I’ve a better quality of life. Blindness can be overcome with the right training, using the right visual-aids and attending blind vets support group meetings.”

Now, May volunteers with the VA, doing outreach calls to blind veterans through the Canton Outpatient Clinic on Market Avenue S. He helped raise money to buy jackets for the 19 veterans and six support staffers from the Cleveland VA who attended this year’s Winter Sports Clinic.

“He is definitely an asset to Disabled American Veterans” said Ken Hall of Alliance, the Alliance chapter treasurer. “People walk in here not knowing what to do, and he helps put them in the right direction. He really cares about people.”

IT’S WHAT YOU CAN DO

May can watch TV if he stands close enough but can’t read a menu without strong light and some help. Away from city traffic, he enjoys riding a bike with his wife, Christina, or his two grown daughters. Around town, he walks with a white cane.

He has not driven a car since 1983 but rides a snowmobile whenever a certified guide joins him.

“My agreement with the sighted guide is: If I become unsafe just tap me on the shoulder, and I’ll stop driving,” May said.

May savors every opportunity to golf, though he needs to be pointed toward the green. He says he finds the fairway more often than not.

His interests don’t surprise him, but he is taken aback by what others can do considering the hurdles. He is witness to it every year in Colorado.

“Sometimes, I’ll talk all day long with other veterans with disabilities, and I’m just amazed,” May said. “You hear their stories, and you just have to smile and cry at the same time. How can I complain?”

The sensation of rushing down the slopes brings most skiers back year after year. For May, there’s that but so much more.

“ ‘Miracles on the Mountainside’ is the best description I’ve ever heard,” May said. “Everybody has challenges and disabilities, but it’s what you do with them that people see.”

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