<html class="apple-mail-supports-explicit-dark-mode"><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto">Thank you, Bronwyn. These vignettes are very interesting. You do a great job. Keep it up! Ken Valentine.<br id="lineBreakAtBeginningOfSignature"><div dir="ltr">Kendall<div><br><div><br></div></div></div><div dir="ltr"><br><blockquote type="cite">On Sep 20, 2026, at 17:53, Bronwen Tedesco via Massachusetts-NFB <massachusetts-nfb@nfbnet.org> wrote:<br><br></blockquote></div><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr">\ufeff<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-width: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;">Welcome to this edition of Member to Member! Today, we will get to know David Tiki, one of the founders and a member of the Cambridge Chapter.</p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-width: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal; min-height: 14px;"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-width: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;">David was born in Brockton, Massachusetts, and grew up in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts. He grew up on a chicken farm with his parents and older sister. He had a wonderful family who had expectations for him, greatly building his confidence. He was born with Leber\u2019s. He attended West Bridgewater public schools and read large print. David did not use a cane, and learn braille in high school. When reflecting on his experience in public school and how others perceived him, he said, \u201cIt was never really a big deal. David just did some things differently.\u201d After he graduated, he attended the College of the Holy Cross located in Worcester, majoring in economics . After graduating, David had many job interviews and they all were rejected. That was the first time he truly faced discrimination. He then volunteered with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, teaching English and speech at a Native American school in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He also coached baseball and was a resident advisor for the boys dorm. He later went back to New Mexico helping mothers on welfare. These experiences ultimately made him decide to go into education.</p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-width: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal; min-height: 14px;"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-width: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"> Now using a white cane, David attended Harvard graduate school of education, completing student teaching, then took his first teaching job at a Newton middle school in 1971. While completing his doctorate, he did research about blind people teaching in public schools and produced his film<i> A Blind Teacher in a Public School</i>. It aired in 1976, also when he discovered the NFB. That same year he spoke at the NFB and ACB convention about his experience and research. He has attended at least forty national conventions. Two years later, he took a job at Kurzweil, working in training, marketing, and sales. He left Kurzweil in 1989 and coproduced a film titled <i>Out of Sight, </i>about NFB member Dianne Starin, which aired on national TV. He returned to Newton public schools in 1991, then retired in 2014.</p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-width: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal; min-height: 14px;"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-width: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;">David currently lives in Cambridge and enjoys working out, listening to music, and describes himself as a devout Catholic. When asked if he had any advice for anyone who has recently lost their sight or joined the NFB, he said, \u201cYou can live the life you want. If you lost or are losing your vision, clearly, it is an adjustment, but there are people who will believe in you.\u201d It has been great getting to know you, David! Stay tuned for the next Member to Member!</p><p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-width: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><br></p><p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-width: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;">Hope everyone has a great week!</p><p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-width: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><br></p><p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-width: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;">Sincerely,</p><p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-width: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;">Bronwen</p><span>_______________________________________________</span><br><span>Massachusetts-NFB mailing list</span><br><span>Massachusetts-NFB@nfbnet.org</span><br><span>http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/massachusetts-nfb_nfbnet.org</span><br><span>To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Massachusetts-NFB:</span><br><span>http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/massachusetts-nfb_nfbnet.org/kenyscuba%40gmail.com</span><br></div></blockquote></body></html>