The Dennis Story

I decided to put this in my blog, since the original post in the discussions tends to get missed, Here is the Dennis Story.

Dennis Story

My name is Levon. My ex-brother in-law was an avid motorcycle racer, man-about-town, and

just a real cool guy. While I was married to his sister, I saw a transformation in him, because of

adult-onset diabetes, that changed him from a activity-filled young man to one who first lost his

sight, then various limbs, and eventually his life. During this time, he never lost his passion for

life, his love of technology, and the gleam in his eye (even while blind). This is his story.

When he became blind, the first thing he did was to learn computer programming! While not the

normal thing a vibrant 32 year old does when facing a lifetime of blindness, he was just as

passionate about this new vocation as he was about racing motorcycles. Upon getting his

degree, he then went about navigating the world of getting to and from work – this involved a

torturous process of several buses, two trains, and a litany of sidewalks, tracks/platforms,

several non-disabled friendly vehicle entries and exits, as well as a ton of less-than-friendly

fellow passengers – each and every day. The round trip process took nearly four hours – every

single day.

He worked at a big pharmaceutical company as an IT guy – actually solving user problems in

the hectic world of IT support. With me also working in the Silicon Valley as an engineer, we

had many discussions about what technology worked for the blind, and which ones did not. I

learned a lot – not so much about technology, but about what it takes to live an independent

life in spite of a disability. Learning to live again for such a vibrant, active guy was never difficult

for Dennis, or at least for all appearances sake. Sure he had disappointments, stresses, and

outright depression over his condition, however, he never showed it. He was always positive,

always giving, and most importantly, always ‘doing’. In fact, he volunteered so much at his

local Center for Independent Living that he was awarded ‘Handicapped Person of the Year’

by the then Governor of California! An award that was well deserved.

As Dennis and I worked our way thru the disabled technologies of the time, I made a promise

to him that I would always think of new uses for technology to help folks be like him – to live

life to the fullest even with a disability. It was a promise that I still keep to this day.

Unfortunately, diabetes took its final toll on Dennis one day, and he went gracefully as ever.

He was not around three years ago when my invention, the one inspired by one of the most

Dynamic human beings that I ever met, was issued a patent by the United States Patent

Office – USPTO # 6,961,048 – The Display of Information on the Keys of a Keyboard. This

Invention can make any keyboard, anywhere in the world, a Braille keyboard instantly. And

It was inspired by my friend Dennis Dolan.

For those facing life with any type of disability – LIVE STRONG.

I am an Inventor committed to helping those with disabilties live strong. Let me know

how I can do this with your needs, ideas, and desires. It can be done.