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Music and Dance

Stevie Wonder

Fri, 07/20/2012 - 13:09 -- admin

American Pop Singer

Visual impairment : Blind since birth

Born Steveland Hardaway Judkins, Wonder now prefers to be known as Steveland Morris after his mother's married name. Placed in an incubator immediately after his birth, baby Steveland was given too much oxygen, causing him to suffer permanent blindness. Despite this handicap, Wonder began to learn the piano at the age of seven, and had also mastered drums and harmonica by the age of nine.

Ronnie Lee Milsap

Fri, 07/20/2012 - 13:07 -- admin

Country music artist

Visual impairment : Blind since birth

Ronnie was born with a congenital defect that left him blind. Born into dire poverty in the Appalachian town of Robbinsville, North Carolina, Milsap's mother viewed her newborn's blindness as punishment from God. Shortly after his first birthday, he was cast off and given to his grandmother to raise. At age six, he was put into the Morehead State School for the Blind in Raleigh, and the young boy faced barbaric disciplinary treatment all through his grade school and high school years.

Rahsaan Roland Kirk

Fri, 07/20/2012 - 13:01 -- admin

Jazz saxophonist

     Roland Kirk was born on August 7, 1935 (the frequently seen 1936 birth date is incorrect) and got blinded soon after his birth. "When I was one or two a nurse came into work drunk or high or mad at somebody and she slipped and put too much medicine in my eyes."

Ray Charles

Fri, 07/20/2012 - 13:00 -- admin

Blues singer

Place of Birth : Albany , Georgia

Ray Charles was a pioneering soul singer who helped shape the sound of rhythm and blues and brought a soulful sound to everything from country music to pop standards to 'God Bless America'. His birth name was Ray Charles Robinson but he shortened it when he entered show business because of the fame of Sugar Ray Robinson.

Joaquin Rodrigo

Fri, 07/20/2012 - 12:55 -- admin

Composer

Visual impairment : Lost sight at the age of three due to diphtheria

Joaquin (pronounced "hwakeen") Rodrigo was born in Saguntum (now Sagunt), an ancient city in Valencia, in eastern Spain. When he was just three years old, an epidemic of diphtheria made him almost blind. Medical treatment was in vain and then he went completely blind due to glaucoma. He once said it was his blindness that led him to the field of music.

George Shearing

Fri, 07/20/2012 - 12:54 -- admin

Jazz Pianist

Visual impairment : Blind since birth

Blind from birth, Shearing was born in London on August 13, 1919 , the youngest of nine children. He received classical musical training at Linden Lodge, a school for the blind, where he also displayed his double threat abilities. Not only could he quickly memorize scores, he could effortlessly play by ear any tune he heard. A teacher at Linden introduced him to jazz.

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