Looking to new horizons
A degenerative eye disease
"popped out of nowhere" dur
ing his early teen years in Mis
sissippi, and Robert Darby was
sent to a school for the blind to
deal with the problem
"When I came back, my
mother said Oh, my poor
baby,”' remembers Darby, now
a 34 year-old first year law
student "I said secretly, to my
self 'to hell with that shit ' Em
pathy yes, pity no."
With the help of a Seeing Eye
dog, Darby travels around cam
pus with more purpose of
movement than most sighted
people
"I appear to have a very ser
ious expression about me,"
says Darby. "I'm big, I'm tall
When I correct a dog, it tends to
stand out in a person's mind I
carry myself in such a way that
says hey. I'm confident about
where I'm going ' ”
Throughout the past decade
Darby and his dog have become
a common sight around cam
pus He completed a master’s
degree in English Literature at
the University, and had sub
stantial work completed
towards his doctorate before
financial problems forced him to
drop out
‘I carry myself
in a way that says
‘I’m confident.’*
Darby relies heavily on
readers and pre-recorded ma
terial to do his studying Braille
is generally too bulky and ex
pensive to have a practical ap
plication
Beyond the obvious barriers
of being sightless, Darby has
met with little opposition in his
decision to enter law school
"The kind of support I've had
from the faculty, staff and
students has just been incredi
ble," he says "They have been
acutely aware of my need to be
prepared They have essentially
said you ve got the ball If you
run with it, we ll block for you,
but you have to run ' "
Darby hasn't let his handicap
stop him from living a full life
The father of three children,
two of whom share his West
Eugene apartment, Darby has
worked in professions ranging
from janitor to artist's model
A strong advocate of han
dicapped and minority rights, he
has been involved with such
organizations as the Oregon
Council for the Blind, Oregon
Architectural Barriers Council,
Campus Planning Committee,
Eugene Human Rights Council,
Lane County Affirmative Action
Council to the Commissioners,
VISTA Volunteer Review Board
and as a director of ALERT
Dealing with sudden blind
ness didn't come easily for
Darby
"In March of 1965. my eye
sight really hit the cellar," says
Darby "At the time, I had the
lead part in a three-act play I
couldn t read it, and I finally
became so frustrated I went up
to the director and said I can't
learn this ' She asked me why I
couldn't, and I said because I
can’t read it She said yes, but
why can't you learn it7’ "
“I did learn it, and the play
was a great success.' says
Darby I said to myself, the
sky's the limit from now on '
That philosophy and a cane
got Darby around well enough
until 1974, when he was struck
by a car
■sum
This is the first year of law school for Robert Darby and his Seeing Eye dog 'Eagan." seated in front of
the University law school in the top photo Above, the pair search tor texts in the law school library, then
Darby chats with a friend while "Eagen" manages a brief nap
"After some counciling and
some self-evaluation, I came to
realize that a cane no longer
afforded me the security I need
ed," says Darby
His Seeing Eye dog is the
third he has had since January
of 1975 The first one died of
kidney failure after being with
Darby five years, the second
one became too easily distract
ed and would run over pedes
trians and lead Darby into ob
structions
‘I said to myself,
’the sky's the limit
from now on."
"All the sudden I'd walk right
into a cement post,'' says Darby
"Eventually I just lost con
fidence in him A dog does
about 95 percent of the work in
that situation, and if you can t
trust him, you're gone "
His current dog is known as
"Eagen" around the law school
But it doesn't answer to that
name because an unthinking
friend might call out a greeting
to the dog in traffic
Such a distraction can have
disastrous results, and even
tually ruin what is a $20,000 to
$25,000 investment
Tentatively, maritime law is
among Darby's career goals. He
decided to enter law school
because "one of the things I've
always wanted to know is how to
answer questions legally, he
says
But his schooling might not
be over when he gets his de
gree He says he might then
pursue an interest in computer
science
"From day one, I've always
been motivated to do these
kinds of things." says Darby
"Really, the only problem with
being blind is not being able to
see
Story by Sean Meyers
Photos by Bob Baker