Blinded Vietnam veteran makes advancing technologies "worth a darn"

Blinded Vietnam veteran makes advancing technologies "worth a darn"
CBS News
Lindsey Boerma
November 5, 2013

Former Marine Scout Sgt. John Fales, Jr. lost his eyesight in 1966 via mortars during a deadly ambush in Vietnam.

"I was a forward observer for artillery, and my head should have been down, but it was up," he told CBSNews.com. "I was not a happy camper. It was very difficult to, kind of, adjust."

He spent the next several years learning the basics of a newly blinded lifestyle, like braille and how to move around with a cane through rehabilitation services at the VA. Then, he headed to St. John's University in New York, where he earned his bachelor's degree, and later Hofstra University, where he received his master's in the field of education.

Blinded Vietnam veteran John Fales, Jr. shows off the collapsible "Americane" his Blinded American Veterans Foundation invented.

"During this period of time, all the new technologies were developed, and it made it a lot easier," Fales said. "While I was going to school I had somebody tape books for me - since it was considered my vocational rehab, the VA paid for it. I'd just put it on at the end of the day and lay down, and it just wasn't too bad."

Other technologies Fales took advantage of included the Kurzweil reading machine, which allowed him to use nearly every facet of advancing computer systems just as someone with sight would. Another is called the Scriptalk, which reads the labels of prescription medications and blasts instructions out on audio. There's also the Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD), which allows Fales to download to audio any title from the Library of Congress.
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