Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, June 16, 1995 TAG: 9506160043
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Don't underestimate Matthew Ailstock's determination when it comes to reaching his goals.
He wanted to learn Spanish and to graduate from Roanoke County's Glenvar High School.
It was difficult sometimes, but Ailstock got his Glenvar diploma last week, and he completed three years of Spanish.
Now, the 18-year-old is determined to become a high school Spanish teacher. He also hopes to become a country music singer, possibly performing part-time in nightclubs after the school day is over.
His new goals might seem easy for some, but Ailstock has been blind since birth.
To get a high school diploma, he had to use a Braille computer to write papers and take tests, and a Braille minicomputer to take notes. And he had an aide who helped transcribe notes for him and performed other tasks.
Those who know Ailstock are confident that he'll accomplish his new goals.
He is the first blind student to graduate from a Roanoke County high school who spent almost his entire school career in regular classes.
Three other blind students have graduated from county high schools, but they didn't enroll in the county until they were in middle school or junior high. They attended elementary school at schools for the blind.
Starting in preschool, Ailstock attended county schools every year except seventh grade, when he attended the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind. He said he came back to the county schools because he thought he could get a better education there.
"I decided Glenvar was the right place for me," he said.
Ailstock will enroll in Virginia Western Community College this fall and hopes to transfer to Radford University after he finishes community college. He's going to New York this summer to get a guide dog to help him get around the college campus, and will spend a month in training to use it.
He's apprehensive - and excited about getting a companion.
Getting his diploma required a lot of work because of all the dictation, transcribing and note-taking with his minicomputer.
"I was determined to get a diploma. I'm glad that I was mainstreamed," he said. "Had I not been, it would have been harder for me now."
Ailstock impressed school officials with his resolve.
"He's a neat young man. He's really intelligent, and he stuck with it," said Pat Zirkle, an assistant principal at Glenvar.
"Sometimes, he would feel tired and get down. It bothered him that he couldn't drive a car," Zirkle said. "But he would bounce back and get up again. He's a good kid."
Karen McPeak, a school aide who has worked with Ailstock for eight years, said she never doubted he would graduate.
"When he makes up his mind, he sticks with it," she said.
McPeak said that Ailstock seldom mentioned his blindness or complained about it. She has helped him become more independent in recent years by not sitting with him in all classes.
Spanish and country music are Ailstock's passions, with stock-car racing close behind.
He loves Spanish so much that he has tried to get his parents to learn the language so they could have conversations with him.
He has been a country music fan all his life, but he has gotten even more interested in it in recent years. He has been playing guitar for three years, and he has written a couple of songs.
As a graduation gift, his parents will pay for him to record some songs in a studio.
Ailstock's favorite singer is Hank Williams, but he's not too fond of some modern country singers. Alan Jackson is OK, he said, but he doesn't like Garth Brooks because some of his music is too close to rock 'n' roll.
Ailstock has a stack of country albums and cassettes in his room in the family's home west of Salem.
He strums on the guitar while he is being interviewed and photographed for the newspaper story.
Ailstock is a fan of NASCAR racing, particularly driver Ernie Irvan, who was seriously injured in a wreck last year. He listens to races on the radio, because the announcers describe them better than on television, he said.
His mother's favorite driver is Dale Earnhardt, NASCAR's points champion for the past seven years, but Ailstock can't stand Earnhardt.
"Mama says he's the best one out there, but he's a jerk," said Ailstock.
He usually agrees with his mother. He said he is very close to her because he does not have brothers or sisters.
Ailstock said one of the toughest things about being blind is that it's difficult sometimes to make friends.
"I wish there had been other blind students at Glenvar," he said. "I think some people were prejudiced because I was blind."
But Zirkle said she believes that most students accepted Ailstock and tried to make him feel a part of the school.
"They would help him whenever they could and direct him to the right place if he needed help," Zirkle said. "I have to give the students credit for the way they helped him."
McPeak, his aide, helped guide him from class to class and to the cafeteria for lunch.
Ailstock said that most of his teachers were cooperative in working with him on taking tests and meeting other course requirements.
If his plan to become a Spanish teacher works out, he thinks he might like to return to Glenvar.
Ailstock said he has wondered sometimes if he could become the first blind Spanish teacher at the school. "Yeah, I would like that," he said.
by CNB