The idealism, courage, drive, passion for life, love for his country, and ability to connect with others — all at a young age — motivated Army Specialist Steven C. Baskis to join the military.
Stuart Nelson
Director of Communications, Blinded Veterans Association
Steve graduated from high school soon after the onset of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He completed Infantry Training three years later at Fort Benning, Georgia, in 2007, and deployed with the distinguished 4th Division of the United States Army, known perhaps foremost for its role in World War II in crossing the Beaches at Normandy.
On a fateful day while serving in Baghdad, Iraq, May 13, 2008, Steve sustained severe wounds from an improvised explosive device (IED) that included multiple shrapnel injuries to his entire body, including head injuries that caused total blindness. He was only 22 at the time. Although his injuries would change the direction of his life, he was otherwise the same person, simply needing time to do a little soul searching and find the resources he needed to live a fulfilling life.
After Steve woke up at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., he recalls, one of the first people who visited him was an employee from the Blinded Veterans Association (BVA) named Tom, also a blinded veteran. Tom promised to help Steve obtain world-class blind rehabilitation training through the Department of Veterans Affairs and assist him in his recovery. He also invited him to attend a BVA national convention in Phoenix, Arizona, while still in the earlier stages of a recovery. Tom kept his promise to help, and Steve made it to Phoenix, still in the earlier stages of a recovery that doctors would later describe as astounding due to Steve’s extraordinary outlook on life.
Reclaiming the future
Today, Steve Baskis is a mountain climber who has scaled four of the world’s seven tallest peaks on seven continents. He is also a skier, cyclist, kayaker, talented podcast host, and much more.
Steve is not alone as a veteran with sight loss. He and hundreds of others in similar situations, including those who served decades earlier in Korea or Vietnam, are the recipients of an unprecedented technological renaissance for the blind and visually impaired, the likes of which the world has never known and only recently come to light.
Coupled with their thirst for a little normalcy as well as professional accomplishment, Steve and his fellow veterans with little or no remaining sight avail themselves of software programs that convert text on a screen into speech, screen magnifiers that enlarge text and images on a computer or mobile device screen, voice assistants that respond to voice commands, smartphone applications that connect with sighted volunteers for assistance with navigation, reading, object description, and people description.
Tech advancing well-being
Other examples include small, AI-powered devices that attach to glasses and read anything (documents, signs, menus, and screens), describe scenes, recognize faces and objects at home and while shopping, scan documents to read letters, books, and forms out loud; describe photos with accurate visual descriptions; search the internet; identify products through audio feedback; and translate labels from packaging, menus, instructions, etc. GPS-based apps use 3D audio cues to help users navigate their surroundings. Online forums and communities feature websites and social media groups that promote the sharing of experiences and allow users to seek advice and stay abreast of the latest technologies and services.
Just when it has so often appeared that the life-changing and life-enhancing programs and devices have reached their pinnacle in making life better for thousands of veterans like Steve Baskis, still another appears on the horizon, and then another, and then another. Only the most creative minds and wild imaginations can truly conceive of what still may lie ahead for them to lead productive and successful lives.
