Hello again, I hope you are having a good day.
This morning I was speaking with my Friend Pris Rogers from the Vision Aware Peer Advisory Group.
We were discussing how they discovered me in the Spring of 2013 and invited me to start sharing my experiences on their website.
In those days I was focused solely on helping people sell their used carnival rides and amusement park attractions. I doubted that I had much to offer other people with disabilities.
Thankfully, Pris talked me into it. I’ve never regretted that decision.
My Perkins Braille Writer
Somehow, we got around to talking about Braille and how most visually impaired people started with a manual Perkins Braille Type Writer.
I got mine in junior high school after the special education teachers taught me to read Braille.
I carried it with me throughout High School, College, and beyond.
I took it with me to Oklahoma City during the time I worked for the IRS, Internal Revenue Service. And I brought it home with me when I returned to live and work with my family on our carnival.
They were simply designed, well built, and heavier than a standard typewriter.
They made a lot of noise when you typed on them, and you had to have specialized paper to use them.
I can remember guarding my sheets of Braille paper when traveling.
My Roles On The Midway
Me and my family believed there had to be ways for me to contribute to our business.
Naturally, I couldn’t drive or regularly help set up and take down rides.
Sure I did help lift that pig iron most weeks, but it was always out of necessity.
I owned and operated a couple of kids games. I had a lucky duck pond and a tag balloon game. These were both the type where players win a prize of some sort every time.
But my most important job was booking events for our show.
Booking Events
When I returned to the family, I didn’t have a computer. All I had was my Braille Writer, my memory, and a lot of determination.
Our process started with visiting the state tourism office and picking up all the brochures about festivals and fairs.
Some years, we booked events in other states, so we would call them on the phone and request the information for that state.
Then my dad would sit down and read me all the event names, organizer names, and phone numbers.
I would enter these on my Braille writer, and start making calls.
When I spoke to someone, I would write down their decision along with any information that might help me the next year.
If they referred me to another person, or if they suggested I try calling a neighboring event; then I would add that to my Braille notes.
We usually had our calendar as full as it was going to be by mid March.
By then we would be out on the road and away from a working phone.
I would store all those notes in a cubby hole in the case of the machine.
The next year I may have had to go through dozens of pages of Braille to prepare myself to start all over again.
If You Don’t Ask
I feel compelled to mention here about the most important lesson my dad ever taught me.
The other carnivals we competed against all had more rides that were newer, flashier, and scarier. And in a state like Texas no one wants to hear that their neighbor had a better carnival.
I got told no just about every way possible. And they weren’t always nice about it.
When I would complain, my dad would say Maxi you have to call them.
He’d say because if you don’t ask they can’t say yes.
Then he’d say stop complaining and call that next number.
This determination of his stuck with me, and I’ve been blessed to be able to influence others with lessons my dad taught me.
Hard To Believe
Just imagine a blind man is responsible for booking the events that will determine the success or failure of his family’s business.
And he is doing this without the internet, email, a cell phone, a website, etc.
If a date fell through, I might have had to go to a pay telephone and call people from notes while stuffing quarters in the machine.
As I was remembering those times, I thought no wonder I try challenging scary things without thinking about them.
Because after helping drag a seven ride carnival around the country for over 15 years, I have learned just about anything is possible with faith, joy, and hard work.
Share Your Challenges
I wrote this post because I was reminded that my strong spirit came from overcoming challenging experiences in my past.
And I wanted to hear some of your stories. We have all been through hard times. But we often gloss over those experiences.
By thinking of what you have been through, making a list of those experiences; and sharing them with others will help you remember.
If you aren’t comfortable sharing in the comments, the please reach out via the contact form.
I look forward to hearing what has made you stronger.
Take care out there, Max