For 30 years, Sonny Morin dedicated his life to education as a high school Spanish and psychology teacher and college professor. But in his late 50s, life took an unexpected turn when he was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a progressive eye condition that drastically reduced his central and peripheral vision, leaving him seeing mostly shades of gray. Combined with moderate-to-profound hearing loss in both ears, the rapid onset of sensory loss led Sonny to retire from the classroom.
As his vision and hearing diminished, simple day-to-day communication interactions became more difficult. When he moved to a new town in central Texas, he felt even more isolated from the world. “I wasn’t talking to many people,” Sonny recalls.
At 58 years old, Sonny had never owned a smartphone, and while he had previously owned a computer, he didn’t have one at the time. Throughout his teaching career, his computer use had been limited mostly to basic word processing, leaving much of the digital landscape unfamiliar. Transitioning to a world increasingly driven by screens and modern digital communication felt daunting, especially with significant vision and hearing loss.
Finding the Right Tools and Support
Sonny’s turning point came while attending the Criss Cole Rehabilitation Center through the Texas Workforce Commission, where he first learned about iCanConnect, also known as the National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program.
iCanConnect is a national program with local contacts in each state and U.S. territory that provides free distance communication equipment and free training to qualified individuals who have significant combined hearing and vision loss.
After Sonny applied and was accepted into the program, his local iCanConnect contact met with him for a personal assessment to review his distance communications needs and goals.
Through iCanConnect, Sonny received an iPhone and a computer tailored for his needs. Tactile adaptations, like bump dots on his keyboard, help him navigate his physical equipment setup with confidence.
Equally important was the one-on-one training provided through the program. Working with his trainer, John Castillo, Sonny learned how to navigate smart devices completely from scratch.
“John is my trainer and tech buddy. He’s magnificent!” Sonny says. “I knew very little about technology before I met him. I went my whole teaching career without using computers, but John was like a guardian angel.”
Staying Connected to What Matters Most
Today, the distance communication technology and training provided through iCanConnect have transformed Sonny’s daily life, helping him to stay engaged with his family, friends, and creative passions.
Using his iPhone and computer, Sonny regularly participates in Zoom meetings, sends emails, texts, and uses FaceTime to stay in touch with his family and grandkids.
Sonny’s technology also led to a meaningful reunion. After 40 years out of touch, he was able to use his devices to reconnect with a group of friends from his younger years. What started as catching up over digital messages led to an in-person lunch reunion, with one friend flying in from California. Now, the group stays in regular contact through a group text chat.
“If it wasn’t for iCanConnect, I wouldn’t have been able to make that connection with them,” Sonny says. “We went from not talking for 40 years to keeping in touch when something comes up in our lives.”
A Voice for the Future
Staying connected digitally has also given Sonny the ability to continue sharing his story. He recently authored and self-published his book, Adventures of a Chicano Spanish Teacher: Mexico and Beyond, a feat he credits back to iCanConnect and the support that restored his communication access.
“I wouldn’t have been able to navigate meetings with potential publishers and all the communication that goes along with releasing a book without my assistive technology,” says Sonny.
For him, the impact of iCanConnect is simple. “iCanConnect keeps me connected. The program works for me! It’s such a good feeling. I found my community again.”
You can read more about Sonny at https://sonnymorin.com/.
