CHAPTER 1

INDEPENDENCE WITH DIGNITY

In 1929 with the founding of The Seeing Eye, Inc. the dream ofindependence with dignity for all blind persons with the requisitemental and physical agility and strength began. The work of thefounders of The Seeing Eye is told by Peter Brock Putnam in hisbooks, "Keep Your Head Up Mr. Putnam", "Love in the Lead","The Triumph of The Seeing Eye", and, "The Miracle of TheSeeing Eye." "Freedom Found" begins in 1967 when I was a firsttime student at The Seeing Eye. I lost my eyesight in a single caraccident at 12:44 A.M. on Sunday, May 21, 1967. My injurieswere so severe there was little hope expressed by my physiciansfor my survival. Recovery was an even more remote possibility.The fact that I was leaking spinal fluid through my broken nosefrom an inoperable spinal lesion made my prognosis a dire one.Without medical intervention the lesion sealed itself, the spinalfluid stopped leaking and I suffered no paralysis. On June 14,1967 I was released from the Intensive Care Unit of ScrippsHospital. I was taken home where, with the help of my Mother,Naomi, my Grandmother, Neomi, my sister Katherine, my brotherJames and many friends, I had the best chance of as full a recoverythat might be possible. I had contracted pneumonia while I was inthe Intensive Care Unit and Inhalation Therapy was administeredin conjunction with heavy antibiotics. I recovered from my boutwith pneumonia and it was better that I not be further exposed topneumococcal infections in hospital. Recovery of my eyesightwas never in doubt. My optic globes burst on impact. I waspermanently blind.

Readers of this book may wonder about the advisability ofreleasing me from the hospital intensive care unit to go directlyhome. I am sure it was the best thing for me at the time; unusual,yes. I must explain that my Grandfather, Walter Wisnicky, hadbeen a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. My Mother, Naomi,assisted him with many surgeries during her teen years. WhenWorld War II was declared, my Mother joined the U.S. Navyand was sent directly to Hunter College in New York for nursetraining. Military and medical educations for men and womenin the armed services of the United States were accelerated andcompressed as a result of the national need for medically trainedprofessionals in both the European and the Pacific Theaters. Upongraduation from Hunter College my Mother was assigned to theburn hospital in Corona, California where she cared predominantlyfor Navy personnel burned by gasoline and other flammablesubstances released when Japanese pilots crashed their aircraftwith fuel tanks fully loaded onto ships in the U.S. Navy PacificFleet. The Kamikaze pilots inflicted considerable damage to U.S.Navy warships and to the crews, many of whom were killed andmany others who were burned severely. The Navy air lifted itsburn victims to Corona, California where specially educated andtrained doctors and nurses tried to save their lives. The story ofthe heroism of these WAVES needs to be told, but, it will not betold here. Suffice it to say that my Mother had seen and nursedback to health men and women whose injuries were even moresevere than mine. At the time of my accident my Mother was inhospital administration with what is now known as the Universityof California at San Diego Medical Center. It is unlikely that thefact the UCSD Medical Center had the best burn victim facilities inthe County was just a coincidence. In her position with the UCSDMedical Center my Mother knew and selected the best physiciansfor me. In turn, these physicians knew of my Mother's medicaltraining and were willing to release me to return home when itwould otherwise seem ill advised to do so. I would return toboth Sharp Hospital and Mercy Hospital for more surgeries in themonths that followed.

I remember walking into my room and to my familiar bed. Iclimbed under the covers and went to sleep instantly. I was sorelieved to be home. I spent the weeks that followed, in largepart, in my own bed sleeping. Somewhere during that time frameI came to realize that I could not and would not ever see again.My body had been fighting for its very survival and nothing else.Hours before the auto accident I weighed 185 pounds. My bodywas well conditioned as I had been a San Diego City Lifeguardstationed at Mission Beach Tower 4 during the summer of 1966.When I was released from the Intensive Care Unit after 24 days,I weighed 117 pounds. With time, my higher thought processesbegan to return. The night I understood I was blind came duringthese weeks. I left my familiar bed and walked through the livingroom and into the TV room. I must have made some small noisebecause my Mother called my name, "Joe?" I stopped and waitedthe few seconds until she stood beside me. I said, "Mom, I'mblind." Putting her right arm gently around me she said, "I know."I put my left arm around her and we both cried. We stood therefor a few minutes. I began to tire and said, "I think I will go backto bed now." This is the extent of my memory of this importantmoment in my recovery. In that brief exchange I acknowledgedmy blindness, the first step in dealing with my new life challenges.

The days and nights which followed were spent reviewing myoptions. They were few. I considered the possibility that I mightallow myself to become dependent on my family. I rejected eventhe thought of that possibility. I thought of how I would get tothe places I would need to go. I remembered seeing a blind manwith a white cane. In my visualization, the blind man was tappinghis white cane which he held out in front of him. He was movingslowly and his eyes were looking down. I didn't like the ideathe blind man I remembered could be me. I thought again andremembered seeing a blind man walking quickly, standing tall andstraight holding a harness with a German Shepherd Seeing Eye dogat his side. "Yes!" That was it! I would travel with a Seeing Eyedog! I didn't share my breakthrough thought with anyone.

After my follow up surgeries were finished, I began to lift weightsagain. I started to learn touch typing and Braille during this time.A teacher was provided by the State Department of Rehabilitation.Mr. Ben Johnze was assigned my case. We would discover thatmy fingertips lacked the necessary sensitivity to read Braille.My friends stood by me and came by the house to visit with mefrequently.

One day my Mom announced that she wanted to take me to PointLoma on Sunday afternoon to meet someone. Sunday was quicklyupon us and Mom drove us to Point Loma to meet a man namedSam Hecsh. He graciously invited us into his home. Sam showedus into a large room and invited me to sit on a couch. He orientedme to the couch by lightly slapping the couch seat cushion with thepalm of his hand. Sam invited my Mother to sit in a chair oppositefrom me and Sam sat in a chair to my left. He asked me questionswith a particular focus on my future. "What do you plan to do?"Sam inquired. I replied, "I want to go back and finish college."Sam asked me other questions until he had satisfied himselfsufficiently to announce his conclusion. Sam declared, "You aregoing to get a Seeing Eye dog." Sam himself had a Seeing Eyedog named Belle. I later learned that Sam had lost his sight whileworking at a military aircraft assembly plant during World WarII. He went on to study law and to become a well respected SanDiego lawyer. Sam had given me my marching orders. I wouldget a Seeing Eye dog. Sam shared some very important words ofwisdom with my Mom that day. Sam said, "Don't ever help Joeunless he asks for help first."

At this juncture in this narrative I must pause and clarify theprevious paragraph. To say or to write the words, "I would geta Seeing Eye dog" should not mislead the reader. The processbegins with a written application. My Mother wrote to the SeeingEye at the address Sam Hecsh provided to request the applicationforms. Within a week my Mom's letter was received by TheSeeing Eye and they responded by sending the appropriate forms.Mom read the application to me and helped me fill out the form.A physical exam was required and was to be sent in separately bythe applicant's physician. I had my physical exam by my MedicalDoctor, Dr. James P. Kiely, and it went well. I had gained backabout 50 of the pounds I had lost and by lifting weights each daymy muscle tone was returning. My family, my friends and evenDr. Kiely were excited for me and my anticipated Seeing Eye dog.I, too, was excited about the future. Graduation from The SeeingEye was not assured. Graduation is hard earned. Not only must ahandler meet the proficiency requirements and the Seeing Eye dogmust meet the proficiency requirements, but, working together as ateam the handler and the Seeing Eye dog must, as a unit, meet theproficiency requirements for graduation.

A week or so after The Seeing Eye had received my applicationand medical report a letter arrived from The Seeing Eye. MyMother read it to me. Its essence was that The Seeing Eye hadreceived all of my required application forms, they were in order,and, I would be receiving a further written communication fromthem. I channeled the burst of energy the letter produced to liftheavier weights and to do more repetitions. The dream of trainingwith a Seeing Eye dog was somehow much closer now. I wouldsoon be free to go wherever I wanted to go whenever I wanted todo so.

The next letter from The Seeing Eye informed me that I had beenaccepted into the training class that would start October 28, 1967and end on November 22, 1967. Included with the letter was a listof suggested clothing I would need for Class 11. It would be coldand snow was likely. Another list was included. It contained somesuggested exercises. Seeing Eye students were expected to be incondition commensurate with the demands training with a SeeingEye dog would place on them.

In 1967 there were no non-stop San Diego to Newark flights. TheSeeing Eye arranged my American Airlines non-stop flight fromLos Angeles to Newark. The Los Angeles International Airportwas 140-150 miles North of where I lived in the City of San Diego.My Mother and I talked about driving to Los Angeles. I suggestedwe use my Pacific Southwest Airlines credit card and fly to LosAngeles instead. I made the arrangements by telephone for theflight reservations; one ticket to Los Angeles one-way and one SanDiego to Los Angeles round trip ticket.

With the dawn of each new day, the time to fly East to Newark,New Jersey drew closer. The nightly television news broadcastreported civil unrest in Newark, New Jersey. Many commercialbuildings had been burned to the ground during the riots. The riotsbegan on July 12, 1967 and continued through July 17, 1967. Lawand order had been restored before I flew East, but, burned outcommercial and industrial buildings were still prevalent when aSeeing Eye chartered limousine drove me through the burned outareas of Newark en route to the Morristown, New Jersey SeeingEye campus. The Newark riots called into question the ideals ofPresident Lyndon Johnson's Great Society program.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28, 1967

After the Convair 990 airliner landed in Newark, Pam, thestewardess who had been very attentive and kind to me during theflight came to my assigned seat to ask me to remain seated whilethe other passengers deplaned. "I will be sure you get off theplane, don't worry." The seats all around me began to empty aspassengers collected their carry-on luggage and departed. Whenall but a few passengers had deplaned, stewardess Pam came forme. She very kindly made sure I had all of my carry-on luggage.Satisfied I was leaving nothing behind, Pam gently took my handsin hers and, as she stepped backwards, walked me to the airliner'sdoor. An American Airlines Red Cap was waiting outside theaircraft for me. Pam told me she was handing me off to airlinepersonnel who would assist me to the luggage area and coordinatemeeting my limousine. I thanked her and smiled. As I started toturn in the direction of the open aircraft door, Pam lightly put herhand on my shoulder to stop me. She came close and kissed me onmy left cheek. "Good luck!" were her last words to me. "Thankyou, Pam" I replied with a big smile. My Seeing Eye experiencewas starting off exceptionally well! In 1967 passengers deplanedby way of a portable stairway that ground crews would bring toeach airliner after it had come to a standstill very near the terminaland the aircraft's engines had fully stopped. After Pam's sincerekiss I seemed to float down the stairway. I have never againencountered Pam. I hope she will read this book some day. Pam,thank you.

When the limousine pulled to a stop in front of The Seeing EyeI was greeted by Miss Paula Pursley, the Director of StudentServices, who welcomed me to The Seeing Eye. Miss Pursleytook my arm in hers and escorted me into Seeing Eye headquarters.Other Seeing Eye personnel followed quickly behind us. Aswe entered Seeing Eye headquarters, Miss Pursley describedthe interior of the building to orient me. Several steps beyondthe entrance door to The Seeing Eye Miss Pursley said we wereentering the main hallway. She told me that someone would showme my room. She explained that it was Seeing Eye procedure that,once inside the building, I would learn to navigate the buildingwithout the aid of a sighted person. At this juncture Mr. GaryMattoon greeted me. He identified himself as, "Mr. Mattoon"and suggested I turn to my right, follow his voice and he wouldshow me to my room. Mr. Mattoon addressed me as, "Mr. Klatt"for a specific reason. It was the policy of The Seeing Eye to doso as a part of the goal of inculcating independence with dignityin each student. In this small way and in many other small waysThe Seeing Eye began to build personal confidence in its students.I had been blind too short a time to acquire what are termed,"blindisms" which generally may be described as a blind person'sbehaviors manifesting a timid approach to life's daily challenges.In his first book about The Seeing Eye, Peter Putnam wasadmonished to, "Keep Your Head Up, Mr. Putnam" by a SeeingEye trainer. Those words became the title of the book. With thatsingle admonishment Peter corrected his downward gaze andforever after kept his head up and looking forward.

I followed Mr. Mattoon up the stairs, past the telephone boothat the top of the stairs, through the map room, into the commonlounge and into the hallway which had dormitory rooms on eitherside. Mr. Mattoon stopped outside the second door on the rightand told me that this was my room. Mr. Mattoon knocked on thedoor. A voice from inside responded, "Come in." Mr. Mattoongreeted Mr. Mitchell, my assigned roommate. Mr. Mattoon said,"Mr. Mitchell, meet Mr. Klatt." Mr. Mitchell stood and extendedhis hand. As he did so he said, "My name is Henry T. MitchMitchell, Junior; call me Mitch." As we shook hands I said,"Call me Joe." Mr. Mattoon then went about orienting me to theroom. "Mr. Klatt, here is your dresser, your bed and over here isthe bathroom." As he referred to each item, Mr. Mattoon slappedthe item with the palm of his hand to orient me by the sound totheir locations. Mr. Mattoon explained the basic rules all SeeingEye students were expected to follow. Mr. Mattoon asked me if Iwould like to have something to eat before retiring for the evening.American Airlines had served a complete dinner during the lasthour of the flight to Newark. I shared this information with Mr.Mattoon and thanked him for asking. I thanked him again and hedeparted leaving Mitch and me to get acquainted. Mitch was atThe Seeing Eye to train with his third Seeing Eye dog. Mitch wasin Mr. Roger Taylor's class. Mr. Mattoon had eight students andMr. Taylor had eight students.