Natalie's Everyday Heroes: Blind instructor teaches carpentry

 

RACINE COUNTY, Wis. (CBS 58) -- The carpentry program at Gateway Technical College is working with Habitat for Humanity in Racine County. It's a win-win for both.

The students get real-world, hands-on experience, and Habitat helps more people find homes.

This partnership has another benefit that may not be easy to see initially.

"Alrighty, got it marked?" asked carpentry student Charles Manilay. "What's that one? 5 1/2."

Measuring twice and cutting once. Students from Gateway Technical College are getting some special hands-on experience.

"That's alright. First semester," Manilay said with a laugh, when a header didn't quite fit the first time.

"This is a five-bed, two-bath house that's going to a family of 10," explained instructor Mike Summers. "Today we're actually working on siding outside, in the cold!"

Summers has some help overseeing the project and the siding installation outside.

"It's got to be a minimum of four inches," said teaching assistant Todd Curran.

"These students are amazing, you know, they appreciate everything I have to offer them," he said.

Curran has been a carpenter for more than 40 years. And when it comes to hands-on learning, Curran uses his for everything.

"So, I've been losing it all my life. I just really didn't know it until I got into my late 20s," he said.

Losing his sight kept him out of the workforce for years.

"You know, it's one of those things where I'm like, who wants to hire a blind guy?" he said.

And it started to impact his confidence.

"At the time, I couldn't even get a job folding pizza boxes," he recalled.

That is until he went back to Gateway and met Summers.

"Scary as ever," Summers remembered feeling when he learned about Curran. He wasn't sure how he's been able to handle the power tools.

"I've never worked with a blind person before in my life," Summers said.

But he gave it a shot.

"I'm always up for a challenge, so I took the challenge of having Todd come in as a student," Summers said.

But with special tools and lifelong skills, Curran proved to be an adept student.

"I was beyond surprised," Summers said. "I was astounded by how well he was able to do anything and everything we had to do."

Summers quickly realized Curran could become a teacher.

"He's a helpful guy," Manilay said. 

He's in his third semester with Curran.

"He's just as capable, if not better than every one of us," Manilay said.

In fact, a lot of times, students don't realize Curran can't see.

"Every so often I get that. Especially if I don't have my cane out or whatever. Because I'll do certain things and people are like, 'wait, you can't see,'" Curran said with a laugh.

"From the first time I met him, we really didn't know that he had an eye impairment. And it kind of surprised us," Manilay said.

All the students see are his skills.

"They'll go to hand me something and I won't reach for it or something and they'll realize, oh, he really can't see," Curran said.

What everyone sees, though, are the results.

The students help Habitat build quality homes. And they get to practice their trade.

"We could put a ladder on each end, do a mark up there, and we could snap a chalk line," Curran told the students.

The program has helped Curran regain a passion he thought he'd lost along with his sight.

"I never realized how much knowledge I had until I got to work with the students. And how much they appreciate learning it, and it's been an amazing experience for me," he said.

If you'd like to nominate an Everyday Hero, send Natalie a message at [email protected].