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home / 世界杯决赛2022

device helps blind writer regain confidence to pursue his calling

paul castle, diagnosed with a rare eye disease growing up in north van, just finished writing and illustrating a kids book based on his relationship with his husband and their desire to adopt

by gordon mcintyre

aug 10 2022
read time 3 minute read
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paul castle (right) and his husband, matthew olshefsi, reading paul's book, the pengrooms. paul castle and matthew olshefsk / jpg
paul castle has always dreamed of being able to read bedtime stories to his kids one day.
the 31-year-old has only 10-per-cent vision because of a rare genetic disease that breaks down the retina over time. but thanks to technology, he now will be able to read out loud when, fingers crossed, he and his husband hope to adopt next summer.
“even when i lose all my vision, i’ll still be able to read stories to our kids at bedtime,” castle said. “it may seem like a small thing to some, but it’s huge to me.”

castle was born in north vancouver and grew up around the lower mainland, always bumping into things, especially in dim light.

he had no idea what people meant when they talked about starry night skies, but he still had 50-per-cent vision, which is why he didn’t think anything was wrong.
“i thought everybody saw the world the way i did.”
then at 16 and practicing for his driver’s test, he went to switch lanes and almost smashed into a car beside him he didn’t see.

the eventual diagnosis: retinitis pigmentosa .

“believe it or not, i was relieved,” castle said. “when you don’t see things clearly and you bump into something, all the fumbling, all the mistakes, all the feeling silly, i thought i was just clumsy.
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“now it had a name. it had a reason.”
paul castle and the wearable device that reads text, recognizes faces and helps navigate around objects by simply asking, “what is in front of me?”
paul castle and the wearable device that reads text, recognizes faces and helps navigate around objects by simply asking, “what is in front of me?” jpg

castle was living in white rock when he met his future husband matthew olshefski , and moved to seattle four years ago to be with him.

it was olshefski who suggested a couple of weeks after covid-19 struck and things were shutting down that castle finally write a children’s book he was always talking about.

the result was the pengrooms , which follows penguins pringle and finn (castle and olshefski) as they deliver wedding cakes and together face challenges at each wedding.

it was published earlier this year. the sequel, the secret ingredient, will be launched later this month.
the books are about the couple’s journey toward adoption, about love, diversity, inclusion and, yes, the importance of working as a team.

it wouldn’t have been possible without something called orcam myeye , castle said.

the tiny device clips onto frames of glasses (it comes with a non-prescription pair). castle looks at text printed on any surface and it reads them to him via a bluetooth ear bud.
it also recognizes faces, hand gestures, products, credit cards and money, and scans barcodes.
at first, he wasn’t a guy who wanted any sort of aid, not even a white cane while in college.
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“i had the scars on my shins to prove it,” he said.
when he finally realized a cane would not only be for his safety, but for others’ as well, he relented when he was 22.
“it was life-changing, it immediately gave me more independence.”
paul castle and his dog mr. maple.
paul castle and his dog mr. maple. paul castle and matthew olshefsk / jpg

he made the same leap when he got a guide dog, mr. maple. more mobility , but he still lacked a communications tool.

“one thing the dog, or the cane, can’t do is read to me.”

castle and olshefski have hundreds of thousands of followers on their social media platforms , huge numbers from both the lgbt and visually impaired communities.

he began hearing about orcam from the latter when, lo and behold, orcam reached out to him to gift him one (which aren’t cheap, $2,500 to $5,800, through cnib smartlife ).

castle received it in january and immediately he and mr. maple could go out on their own and not rely on the kindness of others to, say, read a menu for him.
“the most significant thing for me is just the feeling of independence it has given me,” castle said. “it makes me feel a little more whole, it really makes a difference on a soul level, a core level.
“that matters a lot to the people in the visually impaired community.”
gordmcintyre@postmedia.com
twitter.com/gordmcintyre

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