Frank Levine Biography
by Mark Gasaway
Frank Levine of Georgia is a deaf-blind entrepreneur who has his own business repairing broken Braillers. He uses Support Service Providers (SSPs) to help him do various aspects of his business: communicating with clients, driving to clients’ homes, and using the telephone.
Frank was born deaf, and later developed symptoms of Usher Syndrome. He is now fully blind, except that he can see shades of overhead lighting. While being deaf-blind is a difficult experience for many people, Frank is able to joke and have fun about the "double-whammy" disability he has.
"I immigrated to America from South Africa in 1977. Since immigrating to America and living in Georgia, I was employed by different auto dealerships as an auto mechanic and electrician," Frank said. "In my early forties I noticed the color white turning to light brown and darker colors. I visited an ophthalmologist and he found that I had thick cataracts in both eyes."
"After eye surgery, I could see more clearly. However, a few years later, my vision got slightly worse as I kept stumbling over things I didn’t notice. I returned to the ophthalmologist and he checked my eyes thoroughly. He discovered I had Usher Syndrome. He explained to me that I probably would become fully blind. At first, I rejected what he said. Later, I realized that my vision would probably get worse and that the auto mechanic field was no longer a good idea for the future. I surrendered my driving license."
After giving up his license, Frank made his very first visit to a vocational rehabilitation (VR) counselor who helped him find a job repairing broken lawnmowers. In his fifties Frank’s vision became worse and he could not continue repairing lawnmowers. "I thought I would be in a dark world as I had never met any deaf-blind people," Frank said.
His wife, Rita searched for assistance for Frank, and found a Helen Keller National Center representative in Atlanta to help him (HKNC is a national rehabilitation program for deaf-blind adults based in New York, with regional offices around the country). In August 1993, VR sent Frank to HKNC’s New York headquarters for almost five months to obtain independent living skills in such areas as reading and writing Braille, using the computer, cooking, and mobility training.
At HKNC, Frank met others who were blind-deaf, and learned a lot from them about the blind world. Some people suggested that he join the American Association of the Deaf-Blind (AADB). He became an AADB member in 1994, and attended his first AADB conference in 1996 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Through the years, he became friends with many deaf-blind people and SSPs and realized he was not alone.
Frank then worked for the Georgia Industries for the Blind, now dissolved, from 1994 until 1997. There, he serviced laser cartridges for copiers. When the Industries for the Blind closed, Frank went to the Georgia Sensory Rehabilitation Center (GSRC), also now dissolved, for computer training as a VR client. His counselor thought he could get a computer-based job. It was at GSRC that he got the idea of repairing broken Braillers.
"During the training, I asked a computer instructor to get me a Brailler so I could make instructions. She tried to bring me a good one as she mentioned that most of the Braillers were broken," Frank explained. "Later, I asked the GSRC manager if the broken Braillers could be fixed. He told me that there was no Brailler repairperson in Georgia. I said to myself: Why don’t I learn to fix them?"
When Frank completed the computer training at GSRC, he started attending monthly meetings at the Blind and Low Vision Services of North Georgia (BLVS) from 2000 to 2001. Frank talked with Bob Crouse, the Executive Director of BLVS, about his goal to repair broken Braillers. Bob said to Frank, "You have experience fixing carburetors so you CAN fix Braillers." He set up a BLVS team to work with Frank, which included VR and technology counselors, Georgia’s then HKNC Representative, and a few other agency representatives. At the team’s first meeting Frank told the members, "I want you to look at my idea of repairing broken Braillers in a positive way, and realize my ability to make this a reality."
Frank already had the Perkins Brailler Repair Manual book but was unable to read it. VR helped him get the manual transcribed into Braille from the printed book. He returned to HKNC for a week in 2001 to learn the basic Brailler repair trade. "I worked very hard to study the Brailled instructions and to disassemble and re-assemble the bad Braillers."
In January 2002, BLVS offered Frank an office where he could start his business. His VR Counselor gave him the parts and tools for his first job, a computer with a Braille display device, and other accessories he needed to do his work. VR also paid for his business license for the first year.
For five years now, Frank has repaired Braillers from as far away as California, Michigan, Kansas, and North Carolina. He was recently learned to access a computer scanner, reading it with his Braille display device.
Frank does all the work on the Braillers himself, keeps his own inventory to make ordering new parts and other accessories easier, and maintains the business. "I made a small thin hooker out of a paper clip to enable me to retain the very tiny springs to the holes. I also use a blunt needle with a floss thread going through the eyeholes of other springs to retain the parts deep in the machine. I have always found something that helps me overcome the difficulties of fixing the Braillers." Frank now offers nationwide serice. His company is Atlanta Braille Repair.
Frank can get to his job with or without an SSP. BLVS is located near a bus line but Frank uses a paratransit system that picks him up at his home and takes him to the office entrance. Some days Frank needs an SSP to help him communicate with blind clients at the center and assist with telephone conversations.
Frank also has a job in the field teaching other deaf-blind individuals how to access the computer using a Braille display device. The device allows Frank to teach them how to read the computer screen and therefore have Internet access. When he visits a client he has a SSP drive him to the person’s home where he spends up to two hours teaching computer accessibility.
Frank Levine is a wonderful example of what a person who is deaf-blind can do. Others are also successful in their careers and businesses. It is important for all of us who are deaf-blind to show the public what we can do and what they can learn from each and every one of us.
Editor’s Note: Mark Gasaway is self employed also and has an Avon business. He was formerly on the AADB Board of Directors.