Welcome to this month’s edition of Interviews to Empower. If you have never met him, then prepare to be inspired. Allow me to introduce to you Ricky Richmond who’s motto is "You gotta except it's all right to ask for help if you need it; even sighted people need help.”
Q: Ricky, thank you for allowing us to interview you today. Tell us a little about yourself and your eye condition.
A: I was born in 1971 with congenital glaucoma and had my left eye removed when it exploded when I was only 3 months old. I didn’t receive a prosthesis until I was 11.
Q: Wow, that’s a lot of time to wait. Can you tell us about how you got your prosthesis?
A: Well, I was attending the school for the blind in WV, and my orientation and mobility instructor, Dan Oates took me to Morgantown, WV to get it. I am very grateful to Mr. Oates for the effort he made in finding the financial support for this procedure and insuring I get my eye which I still have today.
Q: So, you went to WVSB?
A: Yes. When I was 6, my family and I were eating at a restaurant when a lady with a son who was deaf approached us and told us about the school for the deaf and blind. Later, my mom called and talked to the folks at the school, and they sent a representative out to talk to us. His name was Mr. Boner. My parents were nervous and scared at first, but my 14 years at the school was a good education.
Q: What was it like at the school for the blind?
A: Well, I participated in sports, like swimming, wrestling and track. I was in the show choir, which was called Pizazz. I also played saxophone in the marching band. I got to travel around the state and even go out of state for competitions. Once, the marching band went to Hagerstown, MD to perform in a parade, and another time we went to the Apple Blossom Festival in Winchester, VA. Another cool thing we got to do was participate in the skiing program. We got to go to Canaan Valley for 3 days to ski. I took Radio at the school, too and piano tuning.
Q: Did you ever go to public school?
A: No. But, I did take a psychology class at Hampshire High during my senior year.
Q: Speaking of your senior year, did you take a senior trip?
A: Yes. We went to Nags Head, NC, where I was first introduced to the beach.
Q: Earlier, you mentioned piano tuning. Can we talk about that?
A: Yes. I took piano tuning from 1986 to 1991 at WVSB. Francis Chillcoat was the instructor. After graduating in 1991, I went to the Piano Hospital and Training Center in Washington State. I lived on the third floor of the administration building at the Washington Schools for the Deaf and Blind. To pay for my room and board, I volunteered my time to help with the children at the school from 6 to 9 every evening. During my training, I learned to tune and repair pianos, though tuning is my strong suit. On Saturdays I traveled to schools and colleges where I tuned 1 to 2 pianos per week. I graduated in 1993 and was offered a position in Alabama, but they didn’t offer enough money, so I came back home to WV. In 1994 a music teacher approached me and helped me get my tuning business started. The blind man who used to cover that area had recently retired, so I accepted the Lewisburg/Alderson area, gratefully.
Q: And, you are still tuning pianos today?
A: Yes, I’m still tuning pianos. I do some minor repairs, as well, but major repairs require someone to bring heavy piano pieces to my house which this, as well as other costs would be too much of a financial burden for my clients. If I cannot repair the piano at the clients home, I usually suggest they just purchase another one, as used pianos can often be less expensive than the cost of restoration.
Q: Is transportation a difficulty for you?
A: No. My clients are real good to give me rides to job sites. I hire drivers, too. I work in homes, businesses and churches. Business has declined somewhat, especially after the devastating floods that hit WV in 2016, but I have had several busy years, and I’m hoping my business will rise again once people in the area have rebuilt their lives; I feel confident this is a possibility.
Q: What do you like to do in your spare time?
A: Spend it with my family and friends. I have 2 older brothers and a younger sister. My mom and stepdad live in Virginia, but they come to visit often. Recently, a friend of mine suffered a stroke. I have learned from him what it’s like not being able to walk, and he has learned from me what it’s like being blind. We help each other. He helps me with things I can’t see, such as drilling wholes in my treadmill and driving me places. I help him by lifting things like bags of dog food into the shopping cart.
Q: You aren’t afraid to ask for help, then?
A: No, I’m not. Even sighted people need help, and you just gotta accept, it’s all right to ask for help when you need it. You have to look at the situation and decide what needs to be done. For instance, I had to have a stove pipe replaced, recently in my wood stove. I had to ask for help from my brothers to get it installed.
Q: We could all take lessons from you in this area. Is there anything else you would like to add?
A: Yes. I just want to say that I have been a member of the At-Large chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of WV since 1994 and have been the treasurer of this chapter since 1998.
Thank you so much Ricky for allowing us to interview you for the blog. It has been a pleasure. And, thank you, faithful readers for being here with us. We hope you have enjoyed this months edition of Interviews to Empower, and we hope you are having an amazing holiday season. Be sure and come back on the 2nd Thursday of December, and the 4th Thursday for another interview to inspire you.
Blessings.
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