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Life without sight has rewards
Anyone who has spent any time with Dan Keller knows that he leads a very profitable, enjoyable life even though he was born blind. His parents, John and Emma Jo Keller of Monroe City, Mo., treated him, the third of their four children, the same as his siblings. In fact, Dan didn't know that he was different from the other children until it was nearly time to go to school.
His mother had purchased him many little records to keep him occupied. When he was about 3 years old she stood him in front of a piano. Instead of banging on it as most 3-year-olds would do, he picked out the theme song from the TV show, "My Three Sons".
This musical gift was enhanced in the years he spent in the boarding Missouri School for the Blind in Saint Louis, where he attended for all 12 grades, going home for occasional weekends and holidays. In addition to learning the skills he needed as a blind person, such as Braille, he also learned more music. He learned both vocal and instrumental music and played the piano and trombone.
This school had the students grouped by age in houses with house parents and roommates. When asked if it scared him to be going off to a school by himself at 6 years old, he replied that he was not really scared, but confused. He heard some talk about some of the students being black and he had to ask what color he was. He assumed everyone was the same color so he needed to know his.
Following graduation from high school, Dan attended Missouri State University at Warrensburg, majoring in sociology with a minor in music. At that time the school did not have much help for persons with handicapping conditions, so he had to memorize the routes to classes and back to his room, as well as all the usual college routines such as using the cafeteria, finding restrooms and being alert for hazards. He used his white cane to help him find his way.
His first job after graduation brought him to Nevada to the State Hospital in May 1979, where he has remained, in two different positions, for over 30 years. His first position was for assimilation and travel planning for the blind residents. Many were blinded as adults and had a hard time adjusting to the blind world. Dan worked with them to help them do such things as sitting in a chair at a table, taking care of their wardrobe and dressing, learning to go from place to place on their own and keeping them physically active in spite of their blindness.
After the changes at the hospital in 1991 Dan was retained to work at the Habilitation Center using his musical skills to be an activity director, play games with the residents and use his piano playing to either keep the lethargic ones awake, or to calm down the excitable patients.
In 1985 another important event occurred. A new Occupational Therapist came to the State Hospital. She also was involved in some of the same activities at the First Christian Church that Dan attended. Leslie said that after she was assigned to the same building as Keller, she used to quietly stand in the door to watch him. He always knew she was there and who it was. They married on Nov. 21, 1987, and have developed a full life together. In 1991, their daughter Felicia was born and all three of them have traveled together to Federation of the Blind Conventions, gone to Holland, and on cruises. Felicia is now in college training to be an occupational therapist.
The couple is active in the community, with the Nevada Griffons where Dan is on the Board. They are active members of Maranatha Christian Fellowship. Dan sings with the Community Choir where he has to memorize the notes as well as the words. They enjoy going for walks together. Dan said they once had a dog who needed a seeing eye human to help him get around instead of helping Dan. They now have cats.
Leslie said she wasn't worried about marrying a blind man because he was so self-sufficient. And she said it was great to be told that she is beautiful by her husband even though he can't see her beauty.
Dan tunes pianos as a sideline, but he says that the preconception that all blind people have a musical gift is incorrect. He said that some are musically gifted, but no more than any other group of people.
His favorite hobby is reading. He reads Braille of course, but he also has a KNSB Reader that helps him where Braille is not available.
When asked if there were any benefits to being blind, he responded quickly that there were. He said he is not swayed by a person's appearance and can get to know people at a different level than those of us who can see. Leslie says he has very few negative thoughts. He is not waiting for technology to find a cure for his blindness but thinks it is more important to create things that help the blind live full lives. The idea that they may invent a car that blind people can drive doesn't excite him because he said most of them couldn't afford one anyway.
Watch for Dan at the upcoming Christmas Concert at the Fox Theater. You can recognize him by his smile.