A day through Luka's
eyes
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October 29, 2011 |
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Psychology major Luka Krmpotich
peers at the notes on his laptop during
his statistics class last week in
Anderson Hall. Krmpotich is blind in one
eye and has 20/200 vision in the other. |
| Photo by
Anthony Kwan |
By Frank Bi
Reprinted courtesy of the Minnesota Daily,
www.mndaily.com
Like many college students, Luka Krmpotich wakes
up early so he can brew a pot of coffee before
heading out to class.
But unlike many of the 50,000 other students on
campus, the psychology major is borderline
blind, or what he refers to as having “low
vision.”
Krmpotich, who was born prematurely, needed
extra oxygen to live. The treatment left him
without vision in his right eye and minimal
sight in his left eye.
What he can see at 20 feet, people with perfect
vision can see at 200 feet.
But Krmpotich lives an active life. He grew up
in the mountains of Idaho skiing, biking and
skateboarding — and surprising many that only
saw his visual impairment.
His disability, however, has prevented him from
graduating college on time.
Krmpotich, 26, was slated to graduate in spring,
but statistics — a class based off visual
comprehension of symbols — has kept him in
school.
Last week, the Minnesota Daily spent a day with
Krmpotich, including in his statistics class, as
he prepared to take his first midterm in what
will ultimately decide when he graduates.
9:19 a.m.: Southeast Como Neighborhood
Krmpotich’s clean bedroom contrasts the rest of
the duplex he shares with two roommates, whom he
met while working at the University of
Minnesota’s Disability Services.
It didn’t take long for Krmpotich to pack up his
backpack. But before he stored his laptop, he
printed off a menu of the restaurant where he
would eat that afternoon.
Menus are often printed too small for his eyes,
so he previewed the menu before his lunch date.
Originally from Bonners Ferry, Idaho, a town 30
miles from the Canadian border, Krmpotich
transferred from a community college there to
the University.
As a kid, Minnesota was a second home. He spent
many summers in the north woods mountain biking
and visiting relatives.
He said he chose to transfer to the University
because of the proximity to family and the
public transportation system.
But that morning, the weather was too nice to
catch a bus, and Krmpotich began to walk the two
miles that will take him from his house to the
West Bank.
Focusing on the road ahead, he gingerly crossed
streets, unassisted by a cane. Krmpotich can
navigate fine during the day, he said, but at
night, problems multiply.
Uneven pavement and curbs can be hard to spot at
night and in winter. It’s tough to recognize
where the sidewalk ends and the road begins, he
said, because everything looks the same.9:42
a.m.: Stats in Anderson Hall
Last Tuesday’s class was devoted to reviewing
for Thursday’s midterm.
Every other student shuffled into a row and sunk
into a seat for the 75-minute review. But
Krmpotich had a seat saved up front.
He made his way to the front of the lecture hall
and sat at the table designated for the
disabled.
His Disability Services access assistant, Mattie
Kim, was already there, her laptop ready for
note taking.
Krmpotich has tried before to go through class
without an access assistant, but he needs
someone to be his eyes.
“It’s frustrating at times [to ask for help],”
he said. “But it’s important to ask for help,
and if people have problems with helping me
read, it’s their problem.”
Kim took notes while Krmpotich followed along on
his laptop. A separate extendable keyboard sat
on his lap.
His craned his neck, his face inches away from
the screen to read it, and often used his finger
to keep his place.
The three previous times he took this class, the
instructors taught more visually, one reason he
said he failed.
But this semester, the course is taught by
Yanjie Bian.
Krmpotich visited Bian’s office before this
semester to learn more about his teaching style,
which the professor saw as a sign that he was
committed to passing.
“He’s a very good student,” said Bian, whose
PowerPoint slides are accessible to Krmpotich
before class.
Krmpotich felt confident for the test after the
review session and left for his Spanish class,
where he would be taking a test that Friday as
well.
It’s midterm week.11:15 a.m.: Spanish in
Folwell Hall
The day’s topic was “ecoturismo.”
Krmpotich consulted a different access
assistant, Andrew Klein, and raised his hand to
give the professor his definition.
Klein is normally not Krmpotich’s note-taker in
Spanish and barely knows the language himself,
but the usual access assistant was unavailable.
Klein is there to help Krmpotich follow the
visual components of the class, like a map of
South America.
Every so often, Klein nudged Krmpotich and told
him he was on the wrong slide on the PowerPoint
he was following.
Krmpotich periodically pulled up his recording
software and marked a time in the recording so
he could reference it later.
The last one to leave the classroom, Krmpotich
stayed after to ask questions. He told his
professor that he will be attending her office
hours later that afternoon.12:20 p.m.:
Dinkytown
Krmpotich had a lunch date with a friend after
Spanish class, his last class of the day.
At first, Krmpotich didn’t see his friend and
walked right by her. But she grabbed him by the
arm, caught his attention and gave him a hug
before they ducked into Shuang Cheng Restaurant.
The girl, Palbasha Siddique, is a fellow
psychology major he met in a history class two
years ago. It’s been too long since they’ve last
seen each other, they both said.
Siddique said Krmpotich, a good friend, inspires
her.
“What makes him special to me is that he’s been
through a lot in his life, something he has no
control over,” she said, “and still everyday he
goes on living life just like any other person,
even though it takes considerably more effort.”
2 p.m.: Coffman Union
After lunch, Krmpotich visited his Spanish
professor’s office hours. Then he went to his
job as programming co-director of the Disabled
Student Cultural Center.
Located on the second floor of Coffman Union,
Krmpotich has spent hours in his office
everyday, either finishing his homework or
organizing events for other disabled students on
campus.
In the DSCC office, apparatuses are available to
help Krmpotich so he can zoom in on his
textbooks.
Before the DSCC, Krmpotich worked as an access
assistant, but instead of taking notes of
classes or meetings for students and faculty, he
converted documents to brail for Disability
Services.
The office was the last stop on campus for
Krmpotich before he headed home at about 6 p.m.,
just before sunset.
Today he walked, and got home before dark and
cooked a dinner of rice and red peppers.The
next obstacle
Later that week, Krmpotich made a trip to the
Brackett skate park a couple miles south of
campus.
With a backpack stuffed with protective gear and
a helmet, he suited up outside the park’s fences
before heading in.
Cautious at first, he warmed up skating around
the park before venturing onto the ramps.
Growing up in Idaho, the outdoors was an escape
for Krmpotich. Pictures of him water skiing and
fishing are scattered throughout his Facebook.
Krmpotich’s parents were accomplished skiers and
taught him well.
“I try not to ski or skateboard beyond my
abilities,” he said. But Krmpotich has skied
down double-black diamonds — the toughest
slopes.
“I don’t look at a slope and say, ‘Oh I can’t
see well enough so I’m not going to do it.’”
Krmpotich said. “It’s not a consideration — it’s
not even at the forefront of my thinking.”
While Krmpotich has conquered the mountains,
college has been a challenge that he hasn’t yet
hurdled.
“It’s been a big learning process,” he said.
“It’s really the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
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