Impaired Vision Doesn't Hamper These SynAudCon Grads

Beyond Audio – By Brenda Brown

Meet two gentleman Kyle House and Matt Reeves who has impaired vision but excels at audio. They certainly are an inspiration.

Over the past 12 years, there have been many talented and impressive people who have attended our seminars. Two gentlemen in particular stand-out and have certainly gained our admiration. Both of these young men are visually impaired and use magnifiers for reading and close viewing and monocular’s for distance. I am amazed how well they perform in the activities of daily living but also within their work in the audio profession. I would like for you to meet them.

Kyle House (right) is 26 years old and lives in Salem, Oregon. Kyle was born with a genetic disorder that left him not only legally blind but also color blind. From a young age, Kyle had a great appreciation for good sound and seemed to have a good ear. In high school, he developed an interest in high-end home theater. After high school, he began living on his own and attended a community college, but nothing caught his interest like audio.

The Oregon Commission for the Blind helps individuals find their career paths through their internship program. In Kyle’s behalf, they contacted Cascade Sound who ultimately hired Kyle to work in sales. It wasn’t long before Kyle was among the top sellers. At the same time, Kyle developed an interest in system design. Within two years of his arrival at Cascade Sound, he is working in sales and system design and he is a four time Syn-Aud-Con grad.

After hours Kyle runs sound for a local band. He didn’t let his color-blindness or the challenge of colored knobs slow him down. How does he get around it? “I memorize the whole board,” he explained matter-of-factly.

Matthew Reeves (bottom, right) is 33-years-old and resides in Atlanta, Georgia. Matt was also born with a genetic disorder that left him legally blind. Matt attributes much of his success to his parents who were very encouraging and who “helped me to find ways to compensate for the things I can’t do.”

Matt works at Perimeter Church, situated on a large campus in Duluth, Georgia. His duties include maintenance and design of all audio, video and lighting systems, including seven fully outfitted auditoriums, an audio studio, and a travel system. He is a seven time Syn-Aud-Con grad.

Matt, is also involved with audio after hours. He and his long time friend and work colleague, Steve Simmons, founded Concentric Production Seminars. They develop and teach an audio training curriculum for church-based staff and volunteers who need entry level audio education.

Matt explained that “everybody is dealt a hand, and every hand has some bad cards in it. I am, in truth, blessed in my life to have such a remarkable set of people surrounding me to help out when I need it.”

Pat and I have found Matt and Kyle’s love for audio and enthusiasm for learning inspiring. They are constantly challenged to peel the onion one layer deeper, and they seem to always rise to the challenge. bb