[accessibleimage] Re: Blind magicians

Lisa,

The Amazing Jeff-o lives here in Minneapolis and I've met him. He does work
and performances with kids in schools, and he and I have worked at the same
school though in different classrooms. Nice guy. The kids like him.

Barry
Barry Kleider
Photographer. Arts Educator.
612.722.9701
email: bkleider@xxxxxxxxxx
Web:  www.barryphotography.com


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Lisa Yayla" <fnugg@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <accessibleimage@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, August 21, 2004 5:31 AM
Subject: [accessibleimage] Blind magicians


> Hi,
> Not sure if this is off list or not. It's sort of, you could
> say its about the inaccessible image.The visible is made
> invisible and the invisible visible for the sighted by the
> blind, or here the blind having the control over what the
> sighted see.
> I was reading another article which mentioned the uncle of
> Paul Daniels who was a blind magician and wanted to find out
> more. I came across some articles about another blind
> magicians. Also came accross a biography of a blind magician
> called "Fly like a bumblebee. A blind magician shares his
> most powerful secrets" by R.W Klamm. And a website of the
> Amazining Jeffo.
>
> Articles follow links
>
> Regards,
> Lisa
>
> Links
> The Amazing Jeffo
> http://www.amazingjeffo.com/
> http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0803/is_1_46/ai_76812357
> http://www.geocities.com/lenny_mchugh/text/lennymagic.html
>
> Amazing Haundini - the blind magician, Gary Haun - Brief
> Article
> Accent on Living,  Summer, 2001
>
> * Making the choice -- Choose how you will live your life.
>
> * Do not give into self-imposed limitations. If enough
> people tell us we cannot do something, we sometimes make
> those limitations become a reality. We must keep trying and
> find "The Magic Within."
>
> * Overcoming adversity. We must accept challenge, whether
> they are mental, physical or spiritual.
>
> * Adapt and overcome. I learned this phrase in the Marine
> Corp. I learned the true meaning after I became child.
>
> Above are some of the program highlights from Gary Haun's
> "Vision from the Heart." In his presentation, Gary, who is
> blind, relates his challenges from climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro
> to shark diving in the Bahamas. His perspective is, "Never
> give up -- and smile while you're at it! Gary, who is a
> magician, takes his message to school children as well as
> adults. The only thing he asks before doing a show is that
> the audience not be told he is blind until after the
> performance.
>
> When he appeared on the Rosie O'Donnell Show, which was
> broadcast live, and he performed magic, he was comfortable
> and relaxed. Rosie was impressed with Gary's card magic.
>
> "That's a little freaky, Gary," O'Donnell said, as Haun
> completed a trick.
>
> Gary came to the attention of O'Donnell when scientist and
> conservationist Jane Goodall raved about him during her
> appearance on the show. When Haun had Goodall earlier, they
> became friends.
>
> Goodall started Roots and Shoots, a worldwide environmental
> and humanitarian program for young people. She said, "One of
> my goals is to bring amazing people from all different walks
> of life to the kids. When Gary wrote me and said he was a
> magician who wanted a signed photograph for his office and
> then said he was blind, I thought he must be an amazing
> person." Goodall said, "Haun was a big hit with the kids.
> Then he said he was blind and the kids were more amazed."
>
> "You are a real magician," said Muhammad Ali when he met
> Gary. Just a few accomplishments for Gary include earning a
> Masters Degree and earning a Master Sword Instructor
> license. The letter of his instructor appointment summed it
> up. "This appointment should serve as an example as to what
> one can achieve through dedication, practice, loyalty and
> ability."
>
> Gary has written a book "Vision From the Heart," that tells
> the story of his life including his stint in the Marine
> Corps and how he became blind.
>
>
>
> Written July 2001
>
> Motivational Magic - How I Got Started In Magic
> By
> Leonard A. McHugh
>
>
> How did I get started in magic is a question I have been
> asked many times. For as long as I can remember I have
> always had an interest in magic. I can remember as a small
> child taking a trip to the Pottsville Library. I was issued
> my library card, and the first book that I brought home was
> titled "101 Magic Tricks".
>
> I read this book from cover to cover, practicing the tricks
> and mentally picturing myself in a top hat and silk cape
> performing. (Funny, I never did get that hat and cape).
>
> In the early 1980's, my wife and I attended a Halloween
> party and I chose a costume with a "magic" theme. I went to
> the Magic Shop in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and talked to
> the owner, who also happened to be a magician. I asked him
> if he thought it possible for someone who is blind to learn
> magic and perform in front of an audience. He said that yes,
> it would be possible, but it would require three to four
> hours for every thirty minutes a sighted person would spend
> practicing, and that there would be some illusions that I
> wouldn't be able to accomplish due to my blindness. Normally
> a magician would practice in front of a mirror so he can
> tell if an audience would be able to guess the secrets
> behind his illusions. Being blind, I wouldn't have that
> advantage. I left the shop with a few small things just for
> the party.
>
> At the party there was a woman dressed as a gypsy telling
> everyone's "fortunes " with tarot cards she brought along as
> props. When it was my turn she happened to pull up the
> "Magician" card. Years later when I spoke to her, I asked
> her if she arranged the cards to match the person with the
> fortune, and she told me that that night was the last time
> the "Magician" card appeared for anyone; it never came up
> again.
>
> Using small illusions I began doing magic for my family and
> friends. Before long, I was entertaining the kids in my
> neighborhood and several scout troops. Gradually I saw the
> irony of using magic to illustrate that being blind wasn't
> going to stop me from pursuing my interests. When a magician
> performs, he depends on the fact that he can see what he is
> doing and the audience cannot. In my case, the audience can
> see what I'm doing but I cannot. A successful magician lets
> the audience witness the magic without revealing his
> secrets.
>
> One of the highest compliments I ever received was written
> on an evaluation form after a performance I did a few years
> ago. It was in front of an audience of about six hundred
> people attending a CQI (Continuous Quality Improvement)
> Seminar for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
> When asked to evaluate the conference, someone wrote on his
> form that he didn't think the magician was really blind.
>
>

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