Santos Rodriguez likes working with his hands: tearing things apart and putting them back together.
As a senior landscape technician with Facilities Services doing small engine repairs on lawn mowers, weed eaters and the like, Rodriguez said “it’s pretty unique that I am able to do this.”
At about age 11, Rodriguez was diagnosed with Behcet’s syndrome affecting the use of his legs and resulting in the loss of his vision.
“I had to show a lot of people that I was able to do [mechanic work], despite being blind,” he said. Now for more than 32 years, Rodriguez has been fixing, repairing and working with campus landscaping crews to make sure their equipment is in top working condition.
Read a transcript of the interview (PDF).
With the motto “UT works because staff work,” Staff Appreciation Week is an opportunity for members of the university community to show appreciation for the hard work and commitment of university staff.
View more audio slideshows featuring university staff:
Searching the stars with Lara Eakins
Hitting the high notes with Charles Ball
Inspiring change with Choquette Hamilton
Cutting keys with the Lock Shop
Resources for People
What a fabulous story! One of the best I've read in a long time. Que VIVA SANTOS!
Wow. What an inspiration. I have a brother who is blind and has gone on to do some extremely amazing things back in the India (he moved back to the country we adopted him from). He was the first blind person in India to ever get an M.B.A. and is now on a special Presidential commission to raise awareness for the blind in that country. In addition, my father was extremely disabled since the age of 8, having survived polio and further deterioration to his nerves and body the rest of his life, finally dying early do the the complications of that disease. And yet he worked his entire adult life at jobs a lot of people said he'd never be able to do. It's the level of determination that determines the success or failure of a man - and that's all. As a landscaper, I appreciate this story even more. Jim Lewis, Owner - Lewis Landscape Services, Inc.