John is deaf and blind – so was his late wife. And together they raised three children. Melva, John’s oldest child, and her father were recently interviewed for a StoryCorps segment. Melva communicated with her dad through a TeleBraille machine. She would type questions, John would read them, and he would speak his answers.
Parenting
“You were my first child,” says John to Melva. “I cannot express the way I feel when I held your sweet little body. I kissed you, I loved you. Oh, Melva, I was so proud when I started taking you out with me. You’d take me by the hand and lead me where you want to go.”
Melva and John also share a favorite story while Melva was growing up.
“One night, I did catch you trying to sneak out,” says John with a laugh.
“We knew our parents couldn’t see, and we used to slip out at night,” explains Melva. And John came up with a solution to this problem: “Daddy started sleeping in front of the door!” Melva says.
Helping Others
When asked what some of his proudest moments were, John shared it was helping others.
“I did not graduate from high school. So I began to read books in Braille to learn the ways of life. Then I taught people to read Braille. So if I could help some person, then my living will not be in vain.”
In fact, in 1952, John helped found the first Braille magazine geared toward African-American readers.
Clearly, John has led a fulfilling and fruitful life. Now at 95 years old, he asks his daughter, “What are you going to do with me?”
“I am going to take care of you the best I can,” says Melva.
“You’re doing a wonderful job,” John responds.