Parents and Students

February 27, 2008

Dear Parents and Fellow Low Vision Individuals:

My name is Abhay Patel, and I am a partner with Huge Print Press. When I was in the seventh grade, I was diagnosed with the juvenile form of Macular Degeneration. In a matter of hours, my hopes of becoming the next great second baseman for the Chicago Cubs were dashed, changing my life forever. As my dreams of baseball stardom faded, other dreams emerged. To ensure that I could meet the new challenges ahead, my parents reminded me daily that “education is the key to opportunity, and reading is the key to education.”

Those words helped instill in me a deep passion for reading. But as my vision deteriorated, so did my joy for the printed word. Books that once left me exhilarated now left me exhausted. Reading had become an unwelcome burden. With my parents’ words echoing, I graduated from one of America’s top high schools and earned a full academic scholarship to Louisiana State University, where I finished with a 3.82 GPA. Ultimately, I found my place at one of the nation’s top twenty law schools.

Along the way, I searched far and wide for large print books, hoping to make the task of reading easier. Time and time again, I was disappointed. My frustration peaked during my first year of law school.

Instead of reading textbooks like everyone else, I was left with cumbersome magnifiers, distorted photocopies and books on tape. I had every option, except the best: books that I could read.

After six weeks of trying various alternatives, I found myself falling far behind in each of my classes. I was certain that my legal career would end even before it had a chance to begin. Searching for a solution, Huge Print Press answered the call with its custom large print books. Almost overnight, I went from dropping out of law school to graduating with honors and finishing in the top 25% of my class.

Aware that millions of individuals are in the same predicament as me, a new dream evolved: the dream of bringing custom large print books to the world. I hope that you will join me in this endeavor. One book at a time, let’s change the way the world thinks about large print!

Sincerely,

Abhay R. Patel

Partner, Huge Print Press and Advocates for the Visually Impaired