ELON COLLEGE – John Carter Washington of Durham has never let his blindness and deafness get in the way of serving others.
Washington received the “Hometown Hero” Award at Elon College. He was among five people who were honored for making a positive difference in their communities. He was nominated by Rebecca Schlesinger of Cary, who is a freshman at Elon. The ceremony was held in November.
The 79-year-old Durham resident continues to edit the Merrick-Washington Magazine for the Blind, which he co-founded. The magazine is distributed to more than 400 blind people worldwide. He and his wife, Ruth, who also is deaf and blind, helped to start the North Carolina Deaf Blind Associates. Every year the group hosts a camp for adults at Camp Dogwood near Statesville.
Schlesinger met Washington when her father, Lawrence, volunteered at the camp. “To this day I remember the pictures my Dad showed me of all of the people at the camp, especially the picture of John and his wife dancing there,” she said. So inspired by Washington, Lawrence Schlesinger now works with the deaf and blind.
From the beginning, Washington has had it tough. Born blind with a serious hearing impairment, his mother died when he was few days old. He never knew his father. He spent years being shuffled between a Durham orphanage and foster homes.
“When I became old enough to go to school, I was sent to The Governor Morehead School for the Blind,” Washington said. “While I still have an amusing poem describing adventures in second grade, my strongest memory of my education is not earning a high school diploma and consequently not being able to pursue my career goal of being a social worker.”
Instead, he attended a school of massage and later worked for 41 years at the Durham YMCA as a masseur. He and his wife raised three children.
“(Washington) always looks out for others and put their needs and wants before his own,” Schlesigner said. “With all that he has gone through in his life, he is still a very happy and upbeat person.”
Washington who communicates with tactile finger spelling says he feels blessed. “If I can help anyone, then I want to,” he said. “If I can inspire anyone, then I want to. I just want to know that my living hasn’t been in vain.”
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