Student, who was blinded several years ago, inspires others

"In classes, I’ve met people through my journey, and they say they know people who have two good eyes who are sitting home doing nothing."

Blinded several years ago in a robbery/shooting, Raymond Montgomery says other students tell him he inspires them.

Montgomery, 26, of Merrillville is a candidate to receive a degree in communication-radio and television at Purdue University Calumet’s Fall Commencement Exercises, Tuesday, Dec. 20 at the Radisson Star Theatre in Merrillville.

"I’ve met a lot of people who have told me that I’ve inspired them, and that was heart-felt," said Montgomery, who was shot and robbed while stopped in a car at a railroad crossing waiting for a train to pass in 1997. "In classes, I’ve met people through my journey, and they say they know people who have two good eyes who are sitting home doing nothing.

"My mother, Ramona Montgomery, helped me out a lot, and people with disabilities have inspired me. I noticed that they did it, so I can do it, too."

And "doing it" is exactly what Montgomery is doing. He has been interning at Hammond radio station WPWX-92.3-fm and at Gary station WGVE-88.7-fm. At WGVE, he co-hosts a show, "The Best of Both Worlds," which focuses on a variety of topics, from music and entertainment to community topics.

"I’m a quiet person," Montgomery says. "But when I’m behind the mike, I’m a different person. You can let your personality soar out."

Montgomery attended Tradewinds Rehabilitation Center in Gary and then the Illinois Rehabilitation Center in Chicago, where he learned how to live independently.

"I had to learn mobility, taking the bus, living on my own in a dorm, how to cook, walk with a cane, read Braille, label my clothes, computer skills," he said. "My friends could play basketball and video games, and I was left out. I was depressed but it was something I had to overcome. You lose friends and gain friends over the years."

When Montgomery came to Purdue Calumet, he checked into services offered by Purdue Calumet's Office of Student Support Services, which provides assistance to students with disabilities.

Montgomery says that Student Support Services "helped me out."

Some ways the office staff helped him were in completing assignments, obtaining books on tape or CD, offering the use of JAWS (Job Access With Speech—a screen reader that reads text on the screen out loud) and providing counseling.

"Sometimes I come up here (Student Support Services on the 3rd floor of the Student Union and Library) to get away from everybody and relax," Montgomery said.

"When Raymond started at Purdue Calumet, he needed someone to help him find his classes," Purdue Calumet Director of Student Support Services Fred Williams said. "I watched him develop over the semesters and saw him say, 'I've got to go to class,' and off he'd go. He became very competent, self-reliant and independent."

Montgomery, who is a McNair Scholar, says he would like to work as a music director, on-air radio personality or in promotions, and he may attend graduate school.

"I'm most impressed with his determination to complete his degree knowing the challenges he has ahead of him," Williams said. "Raymond epitomizes how people can overcome obstacles that are in their way—not to mention that he is a very personable and likeable guy. I have a lot of respect and admiration for him. He could have taken the low road and said, 'Woe is me.'"

Montgomery added, "I'm dedicated. I don't let outside influences stop me from what I'm trying to do."