Walter Ashby
Walter Ashby grew up in the Fifties and Sixties in the small West Texas town of Mineral Wells. When he was about six years old, it became apparent that he was slowly going blind. Years later he would learn that he had optic atrophy, an untreatable condition that would leave him legally, but not totally, blind. As Walter describes in his memoir, Impaired, But Empowered it was as though his world “was encased in a blanket of fog.”
Because of his visual impairment, Walter was often overlooked and underestimated in the classroom. Some of his teachers even dismissed him as mentally disabled although tests would later show that he was intellectually gifted. Not surprisingly, Walter frequently felt frustrated and even humiliated by his disability. However, he was naturally resilient and recognized at an early age that he had the ability to work around or through any obstacle in his way – a skill that would serve him well throughout his life.
Walter Ashby Fishing
His father, James Walter, played a seminal role in Walter’s life. James was determined to emphasize the many ways in which his son was normal and to de-emphasize his limitations. As a result, he did what he could to help Walter feel like a normal kid and provided him with opportunities that helped Walter realize that he was a capable person. For example, when Walter was 12-years old, his father bought him a motorbike, which Walter rode on the many rural dirt and gravel roads near his home. Later, James gave his son an Indian motorcycle. He also bought Walter a rifle, and taught him how to mow yards so he could earn money.
In addition, the summer after Walter graduated from high school, his father hired him to work in his plumbing business. Much of what Walter did was dig ditches. Walter found the hard manual labor to be empowering. As he writes in his book, “No one who saw me doing such heavy work ever suspected that I was legally blind. It was the opposite reaction I received when people saw me struggling two or three inches from my schoolwork—those people couldn’t imagine me in any role that was independent. To them, I was a poor unfortunate soul to be pitied.” Earning a regular paycheck also helped build Walter’s sense of self worth.
Walter Ashby Receiving a national award from Marilyn Quayle, wife of Former Vice President Dan Quayle
Still, life was often an uphill struggle for Walter. He was frequently the victim of negative stereotyping and he had to fight to be recognized and valued throughout his educational life and even after he entered the professional world despite the fact that he had earned a Masters degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Texas A&M University and an MBA.
Despite his many challenges, Walter's accomplishments are impressive by any measure. Currently, he works as a licensed financial advisor for Edward Jones in the Dallas area. Prior to that, he enjoyed a successful career as Senior City Planner for the City of Midland, and while there he passed the exam to become a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, the highest designation available to urban and regional planners, and was elected to the board of the City Planners of Texas.
Walter ASHBY with Marilyn QUayle, Daughter BeCKY, and His Wife Gail
Later, Walter became the Assistant Vice President of Marketing Research for First National Bank of Midland and then worked as a Bank Liquidation Specialist for the Federal Deposit Insurance Company (FDIC). It was during his tenure with the FDIC that Walter was awarded the 1990 Presidential Award for Most Outstanding Federal Employee with a Disability. He also taught urban planning at the undergraduate level and taught at the Hadley School, the world’s largest school for the blind.
Walter has been married for 45 years to his wife Gail and they have two accomplished, adult daughters, both of whom are visually impaired.
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"Experience the challenges and joys of a successful person who is legally blind in a world designed by sighted people for sighted people. Along the way, you will learn new strategies you can use in your own lives whether you are disabled yourself or know someone who is — and regardless of the type of disability.”
— From the Foreword by Billy T. Brookshire, Chair, Governing Board, Hall of Fame for Leaders and Legends of the Blindness Field