ZoomText Joins Forces with New York’s Finest

August 04, 2008

Born in Harlem and raised in Brooklyn, Darryl Humphrey has a long history with New York City and always wanted to work for the boys in blue:  the New York City Police Department (NYPD).  But Darryl was born with congenital cataracts and myopia (myopic pressure) in both eyes, although his left eye is the weaker of the two.

“It’s always been bad,” states Darryl speaking of his condition, “to the point where I was almost totally blind back in 1998.”

In the past Darryl wore thick prescription glasses to see, and had to hold anything he needed to read very close to his face.  He began using Visualtek television magnifying devices throughout school and at his first job, which was arranged by Lighthouse International.  At that point in Darryl’s life, all he could see on a printed piece of paper were the white areas—none of the actual print.  Darryl also took medication to help dilate his pupils so he could see around the cataracts. In 1998, Dr. Mandel and Dr. Laske at the New York Presbyterian Hospital performed LASIK eye surgery, which removed the cataracts and his natural lenses, eliminating the myopic pressure in his eyes.

In 2003, a friend invited Darryl to a venue where his friend was performing in Brooklyn.  “I am so glad I took that walk,” says Darryl.  “When I met Shirley, I met someone who is resourceful and is tireless in her efforts to help those in need.”

With Shirley’s help, Darryl secured his first apartment in the Bronx in 2004.  He suffered another setback in 2005, when after fourteen years of work, Darryl was let go.  After working a couple of foot messenger jobs, he obtained his next full time job with the NYPD in 2006.  Shirley was a godsend, filling out application after application and surfing the web like a pro.  Darryl was proud to announce that he has now been with Shirley for almost 5 years and the pair married earlier this year on May 19th!

In the spring of 2006, Martha Jackson of Goodwill Industries serving Northern New Jersey and Greater New York, and Louis Mercado of Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped (CBVH) arranged for Darryl to meet with a gentleman from the CBVH.  It was here that Darryl was introduced to ZoomText.  Darryl was provided with a ZoomText trial, and soon after, began using the software full time. 

“When I first used ZoomText, it was on the job,” explains Darryl.  “ZoomText has been a wonderful tool to use.  With it, I am able to read any kind of small text on the computer screen, helping me complete my work.”

Darryl uses ZoomText Magnifier daily, both at his job and at home.  “I enjoy all the features of ZoomText Magnifier,” states Darryl, “especially the screen inversion feature.  When my eyes begin to tire from the brightness of the screen when reading text or looking at photos, I use the reverse video feature.” If a piece of mail is too small to read, Darryl uses his photography software to scan and save the mail on his computer so he can use ZoomText to help read it.

“You could say that I have accomplished quite a bit throughout my nearly 41 years living as a visually impaired person.  I am especially savoring this last year and a half, during which I have obtained a position working with the NYPD,” Darryl exclaims.  “The Lord, my wife, and my new ‘extended family’ (Goodwill Industries International, the city of New York and the NYPD) have provided me with a new beginning, a positive outlook on life, and nothing but wonderful blessings.  These blessings encourage me to move forward and live a life where I’m always moving one step forward instead of two steps back.”

In his free time, Darryl considers himself an avid cyclist, and he enjoys riding his trike around New York.  He also enjoys digital photography, and more often than not, Darryl walks or rides around the city with his digital camera snapping pictures.  Not one to stop dreaming, Darryl has aspirations of someday becoming a freelance photographer for family functions and get-togethers of all kinds.

All of us at Ai Squared would like to congratulate Darryl on all his accomplishments and wish him and Shirley a very happy life together!