Published March 13th, 2008 in the Democrat and Chronicle, Rochester, NY

Paterson inspires pride at School for the Blind in Batavia

By Jim Mandelaro JMAND@DemocratandChronicle.com

At School for the Blind, his accession signals acceptance

BATAVIA — News that David Paterson will become the first legally blind governor in U.S. history was met with pride at the New York State School for the Blind.

"This proves that there are no limits on the opportunities available to a person with a disability in New York," said James Knowles, superintendent of the school, which educates 57 students ages 5 to 21. "Our students are thrilled and inspired by the prospect of David Paterson becoming governor."

Paterson has been lieutenant governor, but will become the state's chief executive on Monday after Gov. Eliot Spitzer announced his resignation Wednesday because of revelations that connected him to a prostitution ring.

The New York State School for the Blind, a state-operated school on a 16-acre campus in the heart of this Genesee County city, has been in existence since 1868. Some students reside there and others attend school during the day.

"Many of my students have gone on to become highly successful," said Laraine Caton, a former secondary English teacher who now leads related and support services.

"I think the kids here now will be excited to know their governor has a visual impairment, and I think they'd love to have him come visit our school," said Caton, who has been at the school since 1972.

Caton said school administrators send their students into the real world with simple advice: Do the best that they can.

"Our students have other disabilities in addition to blindness," she said. "We try to work with them to be the most independent people they can be. That's really our mission."

Paterson has optic atrophy, a degeneration of the fibers of the optic nerve. Born in Brooklyn in 1954, he developed an infection as an infant that left him blind in his left eye and with 20/400 vision in his right.

A person is considered legally blind when their vision is worse than 20/200 and cannot be improved with corrective lenses.

At work, Paterson's aides leave him long voice messages and record his speeches so he can memorize them.

Paterson, who has never used a seeing-eye dog or a cane, has been an inspiration to many blind people. He plays basketball, has run a marathon and can recognize people from a few feet away. He also shocked an audience at a Capitol reporters dinner in 2002 by doing a standing back flip.

"To me, the person who serves as governor of any state should be the one most qualified for the job, whether he's blind or not," Knowles said.

Includes reporting by the Albany bureau's Jay Gallagher and Cara Matthews.

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