Kevin Whitley learned to adapt, and one activity he continues is skiing. He has skied in Colorado, Wisconsin and Norway.
Kevin Whitley lost his eyesight as an adult and had to learn to adapt. He is an avid skier and traveler, and can frequently be seen on the ski trails of Anchorage.
Kevin Whitley came to Alaska from Baytown, Texas, in 1972 at the age of 9. His father was drawn to Alaska to work on the transcontinental pipeline. So, the family packed their bags and moved more than 3,000 miles away to start a new life in Alaska.
The move was anything but easy. Kevin had to adjust from the hot, humid plains of East Texas to the cold, mountainous landscape of Alaska. But little by little, he adapted. He swapped his football for a hockey stick, embracing the northern lifestyle, as his Texas accent began to fade. Kevin was adapting.
After graduating from West Anchorage High School, Kevin joined the Job Corps and trained as a mason. He built a normal life raising a family and pouring concrete for many of Anchorage's buildings as a mason. He didn't know it then, but those hands-on skills would become important later in life.
In 2009, tragedy struck. Kevin became the victim of a violent crime that left him completely blind. The fiercely independent man had to confront a new reality, one in which he suddenly needed help.
At first, Kevin resisted reaching out to the Alaska Center for the Blind. Still deep in the anger stage of grief, he didn't want assistance from anyone. Yet he knew he had to evolve and reluctantly reached out to the center.
Slowly, a new world opened. As Kevin gained skills and confidence, he began reclaiming his independence. Woodshop instructor Lowell Zercher encouraged Kevin to reconnect with something he feared he had lost forever: the ability to work with his hands. Kevin was slowly regaining his independence. Bonnie Lucas taught him to navigate computers and smartphones without sight. Kevin was evolving.
When Lowell retired in 2016, Kevin stepped into his role. Fulfilling a promise he made to Lowell that one day, he would have his job. Today, he proudly passes on the skills that helped him rebuild his life. Today, Kevin is an avid skier and traveler. Over the past year alone, he has skied in Colorado, Wisconsin and even Norway. He also travels to Fairbanks bimonthly to give presentations and provide phone training, continuing to pass on the skills he gained from the center.
When I travel with Kevin around Anchorage, I never need GPS. He can guide us around Anchorage from memory, recalling the countless places he poured concrete as a mason.
This Alaskan has adapted. He has evolved. And today, Kevin Whitley is thriving.
Pete McCall is the older blind coordinator for the Alaska Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
