Shorty, from Cokato, has always been extremely active. A veteran of the Vietnam War, he has also been a competitive shooter of rifles for over forty years. His first thoughts upon becoming blind were that his active life was over.

He had been working with the Minnesota Workforce Center to find employment. So when he became blind, he immediately notified them that they could take him off the mailing list. Although they did not tell him that it was possible for him to return to work, they did refer him to State Services for the Blind. He met his counselor at a fortunate time. BLIND, Inc. was about to begin an Older Blind class and Shorty was just the right age. State Services for the Blind (SSB) bureaucracy can work quickly, when it wants to. Shorty was enthusiastic about getting on with his life and Stan Keith, his counselor, realized that waiting might dampen his spirit.

Shorty entered his class where he met three women who probably enjoyed watching him learn about the challenges of cooking and threading a needle. Recognizing the practical side of life, Shorty acknowledged that while his wife could sew on his buttons it was handy for him to have the skill.

Shorty's favorite thing was learning to use his white cane. His teacher, Charlene Childrey, was impressed with how quickly he was walking around town with it. He says that since he started using his cane he has only found one light pole the hard way.

Along with his competitive shooting Shorty was a gun safety instructor and part-time gun smith. Learning more about himself as a blind person, he began to realize that he might not have to give up participating in gun-club activities. He found that he could easily continue his work as an instructor and he has found ways to continue his shooting. He has turned his cowboy action shooting over to his daughter, and is giving her first-class instruction.

Shorty wanted to share his favorite hobby with the other class members. Their field trip to his sportsmen club occurred on a day when this author was visiting. This activity was a first for me. Shorty said that his objective was to let us know that we did not have to be afraid of guns if we followed proper precautions. He explained exactly what would happen and then issued us our ear plugs. The person shooting also wore safety goggles. Before we were to shoot, Shorty had us examine the gun and the bullets. He, however, loaded the gun.

When it was actually time to shoot, Shorty stood behind us with his hand on our shoulder and the other helping us support the gun. A cowbell was attached to the target to help us know where to point. By the way, pointing is different from aiming.

We shot two different guns: a hand gun and combination .22 and .410 gauge shotgun. We ran out of time before we could do the rifle. I understand the class went back for their graduation and at least one person tried the 50 caliber muzzle loading rifle.

While I don't think I have found a new hobby, there was something exhilarating about having done this. Maybe it was because it was the first time for me or it might have been that this is not inactivity normally associated with our Older Blind classes. Whatever it was, Shorty is on the right track in returning to being an instructor.

What does Shorty's future hold for him? By the time this article is published, Shorty will have participated in the Veteran Administration’s deer hunt for disabled vets at Camp Rippley. Who knows what else Shorty will do? He is just beginning to discover his potential.