Though blind from birth, Brian Spencer is just a regular student

Many individuals have been given the opportunity to have a unique impact on the student body at GCSU, leaving a void to fill upon their departure from this campus. Few will be able to come close to being able to fill in for Brian Spencer. Spencer is a senior at GCSU who will graduate this Spring. 
He is also blind.
Spencer is tough to miss, navigating his way daily across campus using only his cane and uncanny sense of direction to get from Napier Hall to Front Campus. Despite how well he handles himself, Spencer’s most noticeable traits are his humility and sense of humor.
“I get lost all the time, but I’ve gotten good at faking where I am or where I am going,” Spencer said.  “Some of the buildings on campus, like Porter and Herty, have so many twists and turns that it’s easy to get lost.”
Spencer was born completely blind, and since that day, has never shown any signs of slowing down or being kept back from his sighted peers. Spencer ran cross country at Parkview High School, and among his many accomplishments, won the Panther Award, the school’s top honor.  He enrolled at GCSU in Fall 2002 and has been a noticeable part of the campus community since.
Colby Cameron, a senior business management major at GCSU, attended high school with Spencer.
“I am amazed by how humble and content he is with his situation,” Cameron said. “It makes me think how so many people take their blessings for granted, and how he (with his disability) is so happy with life.”
A mass communication major, Spencer is a serious sports fan and a regular attendee of the ministry Campus Outreach.  He also spends a great deal of time encouraging his friends and family.
In Fall 2004, Spencer had an opportunity to host his own radio show on GCSU’s WGUR.
“My first two-hour radio show was great,” Spencer said.  “It was something I had always wanted to do, and had been dreaming of for 15 years. I can say that I’ve done something that I have always wanted to do.”
Though remarkably self-reliant, Spencer has needed some assistance from friends and strangers alike.
“I have to have a lot of help sometimes,” Spencer said.  “I would love to be fully independent, but that’s not the way it is. I have had a lot of help from family and friends.”
Spencer has spent his entire college career in the residence halls, where he has gathered many fond memories and friendships. His current roommate, Alex Collins, was unprepared and not expecting to have a blind roommate during his freshman year.
“He is blind, but still does everything that everyone else does,” said Collins, a biology major.  “He doesn’t get stopped by much. It has been interesting living with someone who is blind. It’s not something everyone else goes through. It’s cool to see him walking around and saying ‘hey’ to him because he always knows who I am.”
Next semester, Spencer may be participating in an internship with the state’s legislature, working under the State Rehabilitation Counsel, a government group that lobbies for individuals with disabilities. The opportunity has arisen with the help of Dr. Helen Hill of the Office of Student Support Services. Along with being his close friend, Hill is Spencer’s advisor.
“It makes my job worthwhile to see my students succeed in whatever they want to do,” Hill said. “Brian has been very successful; he has maintained his Hope Scholarship all throughout school. I admire the fact that he does what he does, and I think Brian will be a success in anything he attempts.”
Spencer is currently focusing on his graduation, but he’s also still enjoying where he is.
“I do the best I can and I try to serve people the best I can,” Spencer said.  “I want to pass all my classes so I can move into my internship and graduate.”

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Sep 29 2006. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry