We had a service dog who’s blind but adorable to attend our event!!

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KINDNESS IS A LANGUAGE

THAT THE DEAF CAN HEAR

AND THE BLIND CAN SEE.

Happy Morning

#kindness #language #deaf #hear #blind #see #happy #morning

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Oxygen deprivation in utero resulted in Kenny being born deaf with partial blindness, partial paralysis on his left side, and an inability to speak clearly until the age of 10. Kenny also suffers cognitive impairment, similar to the fictional character Forrest Gump, which gives him the same child-like innocence and leads to the same sort of hilarious misunderstandings and malaprops that made Gump both lovable and entertaining.
Kenny’s life could easily have been nothing but a depressingly sullen tale of victimhood. Instead, it turned out to be one filled with a unique combination of joy, humor, friendship, heartbreak, accomplishment, faith, and peace.
From his time spent with Kenny, Paul Smith will talk about:
• Being A Storyteller
• His unique relationship with Kenny
• Meeting Kenny and what inspired him to write this book
Praise for FOUR DAYS WITH KENNY TEDFORD
“Kenny is definitely a hero that everyone needs. Please have a sequel! This book will change your life as it did mine!”
– Miles Barbee, acclaimed Broadway and screen Dea actor and star of The Silent Natural
“A touching and sensitively crafted account of a differently-abled and extraordinarily gifted storyteller. The collaborative oral autobiography is a fine piece of work, and it is a pleasure to spend days in its company.”
– Joseph Sobol, Ph.D., Director, George Ewart Evans Centre for Storytelling, University of South Wales
“Authentic, compelling, and poignant…profound life lessons from an unlikely and extraordinary person!”
– Sandy Cohen, Tennessee Director of the Library Services for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing
“You cannot help but see how a simple thing in life can be both magnifying and amusing…whenever you have a tough day, simply think about Kenny…he will nudge your conscience with a cornucopia of his personal and humorous stories.”
– Peter Cook, internationally renowned Deaf performing artist
“In a current society where labels seem to carry a lot of weight, it is enlightening to see how one man disregards the labels assigned to him by others (including his family and friends). On his journey to success, Kenny Tedford has triumphed by focusing on his strengths and abilities. A must-read for anyone wanting to learn how to see the person (and not the label).”
– Libby Tipton, certified sign language interpreter, and president, Jonesborough Storytellers Guild

About the Author, Paul Smith
Paul Smith is one of the world’s leading experts on organizational storytelling. He’s one of Inc. Magazine’s Top 100 Leadership Speakers of 2018, a storytelling coach, and author of the Amazon #1 bestsellers, Lead with a Story (now in its 11th printing, and published in 7 languages around the world) and Sell with a Story, in addition to his latest works, The 10 Stories Great Leaders Tell and Four Days with Kenny Tedford. He’s a former executive at The Procter & Gamble Company and a consultant with Accenture prior to that.
As part of his research on the effectiveness of storytelling, Paul has personally interviewed over 300 CEOs and executives in 25 countries and documented over 3,000 individual business stories. That’s allowed him to reverse engineer what works in storytelling and what doesn’t. His work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Inc. Magazine, Time, Forbes, and Success Magazine, among others.
Paul has trained executives at international giants like Google, Hewlett Packard, Ford Motor Company, Bayer Medical, Novartis, Abbott, Progressive Insurance, Luxottica, Walmart, Kaiser Permanente, among dozens of others. A 20-year veteran of P&G, Paul was most recently director of consumer and communications research for the company’s $6 billion global paper business where he led a research team across four continents. He has also held leadership positions in corporate finance, manufacturing plants, and sales working closely with major retailers around the world like Walmart, Costco, Asda, and Sam’s Club.
Paul holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He lives with his wife and two sons in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, Ohio. Find out more about Paul Smith by visiting his website LeadWithAStory.com You can also follow him on Facebook @LeadWithAStory and LinkedIn @smithpa9! Find out more about Kenny Tedford Jr. by visiting his website KennyTedford.com You can also follow him on Facebook @Kenny Tedford Jr.!
Four Days With Kenny Tedford: Life Through the Eyes of a Child Trapped
in a Partially Blind & Deaf Man’s Body
By Paul Smith and Kenny Tedford Jr.
Publisher: Behler Publications | November 26, 2019
ISBN-10: 1941887023
ISBN-13: 978-1941887028

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But one disabled veteran is out to change that. Marty Klein of Woodstock, NY, became blind while serving in the Air Force during the Vietnam era. Upon being classified as disabled, he received an honorable medical discharge and was sent home, with no other options offered by the country he was so proud to serve. Unfortunately, his story is far from unique.

“There are so many soldiers who come back wounded from combat who would love to stay in the military, but they’re not allowed when they have a disability,” says Klein. “They have to be discharged away, sent home with a disability, and they have no idea who they are.”

Klein has begun a movement for policy change, so that wounded soldiers would have the option of continuing their military careers in noncombat roles. Also, citizens with pre-existing disabilities could join the armed forces in similar positions. He is mounting a fundraising campaign to produce a feature-length documentary, entitled “Why Can’t We Serve,” to bring these issues to the attention of the public and policy makers.

“I believe a full-length documentary about this whole subject would, at the very least, expose the inequity and start a national conversation, and at best, could cause sweeping changes in how the public views people with disabilities,” Klein says. “In addition, the documentary may very well be a catalyst that helps raise the consciousness regarding disabled vets, as well as raising the standard of living for everyone with disabilities.”

Visit whycantweserve.com to learn more about these issues, view a promotional video, and contribute to the fundraising campaign.

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Thanks Jason Senders, Good News Sports Producer for suggesting this important and “life affirming”  Good News Story.

Thanks to ESPN for broadcasting the draft and the NBA for doing such a honorable gesture.

Special thanks to Isaiah for inspiring so many with your positive conviction for making the most out of  our lives.

Early years

Austin was born October 25, 1993 in Fresno, California to Ben and Lisa Green. His family later moved to Arlington, Texas where he grew up and attended Grace Preparatory Academy.

High school career

Austin attended Grace Preparatory Academy. As a senior, he averaged 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 blocks a game. This lead him to his second straight Fort Worth Star-Telegram Super Team Player of the Year. Austin participated in the 2012 McDonald’s All-American Game, 2012 Adidas Nations and the 2012 Jordan Brand Classic. In the McDonalds All-American Game, he recorded 10 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 assists to lead the West to victory. In the Jordan Brand Classic, he recorded 10 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks to again lead the West to victory. He was named to the ESPNHS All-American Elite second team and was the nations no. 3 recruit according to ESPN.

College career

In his freshman season at Baylor, Austin was named to the 2013 All-Big 12 third team and the Big 12 All-Rookie team. On April 4, 2013, he recorded 15 points, nine rebounds, five blocks, four assists and two steals in the NIT championship game in which Baylor defeated Iowa 74–54. In 35 games (all starts), he averaged 13.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.7 blocks in 29.9 minutes per game.

In April 2013, he declared for the 2013 NBA draft, but later returned to Baylor due to a shoulder injury.

In his sophomore season, he was named to the 2014 Big 12 All-Defensive team. In 38 games, he averaged 11.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 3.1 blocks in 28.0 minutes per game.

On April 22, 2014, he declared for the 2014 NBA draft, forgoing his final two years of college eligibility.

On June 21, 2014, Austin learned that he had been diagnosed with Marfan syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects the body’s connective tissue. In an emotional interview with ESPN‘s Holly Rowe, Austin said that he could no longer play basketball at a competitive level since there was too much risk of his heart rupturing. In response, NBA commissioner Adam Silver invited Austin to attend the draft as his guest. Shortly after Austin’s diagnosis was made public, his agent revealed that Austin had taken out an insurance policy against career-ending disability through a special NCAA program. The amount of the policy was not disclosed, but the agent stated that it was at least $1 million. The policy would not have paid out if his career had ended due to the aforementioned shoulder injury or his eyesight, but is expected to pay out due to his Marfan diagnosis.

Personal

Austin is blind in his right eye from an injury he sustained in middle school. He had kept the injury a secret, known only to his teammates and close friends until January 17, 2014.

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The 13th Annual Nightwalk in New York to benefit Guiding Eyes for the Blind will take place October 13th at the schoolyard, Columbus Avenue and West 77nd Street.

Sign in is at 7 p.m.; the walk begins at 8 p.m.

Guiding Eyes for the Blind (GEB) is a non-profit organization that provides guide dogs and training for Blind people.  It costs GEB $45,000 to raise and train just one dog!

GEB provides their dogs at no cost to the blind person  and without any government funding.  Donations make it all possible.  Guiding Eyes for the Blind relies solely on contributions.

One hundred  percent of the donations go to Guiding Eyes for the Blind.  Of course, moral support alone cannot sustain a cause as worthy as GEB.  Be it small or large, every dollar matters.  Included is sponsor and donation information for you and your children.  You can also donate online at :  www.guidingeyes.org/nightwalk

For more information contact Bruce Stark here at Beacon Paint, 212.7887.1090, or email him:  bruce@beaconpaint.com

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