 Excerpt from NCT obituary |
Paging
through the April 8th North County Times my heart skipped a beat as
I recognized a familiar face and former Palomar College student of mine.
In the obituaries. Andy Berg, 28 years old. Gone.
Andy touched the lives and spirits of those who were fortunate enough to make his acquaintance. Look around at all the walls we permit to exist between us. What a lesson from someone whose visual disability kept him from seeing a lot of what most people take for granted.
Andy enrolled in my Graphic Communications Flash class about three years ago. Once I realized that he was challenged more than most I started working closely with Kathy Dunham, lab tech in B-21 and Ron Haines and his team at Palomar's Disability Resource Center.
This collaboration took on a multi dimensional perspective as it involved other students in the class who worked with Andy when I was working with others.
Eventually the specialized software arrived. This magnified the images displayed by the computer. It helped a little. Andy and I and others in the class worked closely and developed a unique bond based on our mutual purpose. And Andy completed his project: A Flash movie about his dog Max who had passed away about a year earlier. Having a visual disability myself, I took special interest in his endeavors and while Andy's needs offered a paradigm shift for the class we all learned from the experience and I know that I am a better teacher and person for having been given that special opportunity.
I still use Andy's Movie about Max to show my students what can be done when one chooses tenacity over defeat. Wade Rollins, now Chair of the Graphic Communications Department shared these words with me. "I had many of the same experiences with Andy and I also still use his movies to inspire others. Andy had a sense of humor that was evidenced through his short films. He could really get the class laughing."
To see Andy’s movie (PC format) click the link below. Take a look and enjoy a slice of life seen through the eyes of one who was legally blind but who possessed better than 20/20 insight on some facets of life we can all benefit from. Andy had a way of touching peoples' lives and I see his movie as a gift ... the offspring of the collaboration between a committed student who refused to give up, fellow students and faculty. This short movie shows what we can accomplish when we combine our hearts with compassionate intelligence and accept the commitment to finding alternatives to the walls and speed bumps we perceive in our personal and professional lives. Thank you Andy for helping us see through the darkness.
By:
Paul Ruez
www.RuezArt.com