David "Rusty" Perez Email & Phone Number

I was born blind, and adopted as an infant. Despite having what many would consider a frightening and crippling disability I have defied most expectations and led a successful life.I played in the marching band and swam on the high school swim team. I earned a B.A., a Teaching Credential, and an M.A. and I taught high school and college English for a total of fourteen years. I am a musician, singer, songwriter and husband.I speak about my experiences; share stories, insights and original music with audiences to help them build resilience and courage, and realize that despite their limitations, anyone can succeed.I engage audiences with stories from my life experience as ablind individual to encourage them to overcome self-doubtand find their own success.My memorable stories, humor and original music, will entertain, engage and amaze your audience. They will leave withpractical, actionable steps to move them forward after my talk.Besides my experience teaching English, I have life long experience speaking on technologies and issues related to blindnessSpecialties: dynamic speaking and interpersonal communications,writing and editing to improve clarity, conciseness and correctness Latino and multi-cultural literatureblindness technologies including OCR, screen readers, TTS enabled devices, Braille devices, print accessibilityfluent Spanish

Listed skills include Editing, Spanish, Public Speaking, Literature, and 5 others.

• Public Speaker

  Freelancer

  Jun 2019 - Present - 92882

  I have really been a public speaker all my life. I have often been called upon to talk about disability related topics in various settings. In previous positions as an educator, I have presented countless lectures and classes in the classroom.As an entertainer I have held the attention of many gatherings.Currently I speak about my experiences; share stories, insights and original music with audiences to help them build resilience and courage, and realize that despite their limitations, anyone can succeed.Current speaking topics include, but are not limited to:------------------------------A Walk In The Dark:Audiences will learn steps to build resilience and overcome adversity. I Teach through personal anecdotes, insights, and original music from the perspective of someone who cannot see what is ahead.------------------------------Life Is A Team Sport: With stories, observations and original songs from my experience as a guide dog handler, I teach audiences to strengthen their “life team” through trust, empowerment, and motivation.------------------------------We’re All Disabled So Get Over It:Audiences will build self confidence as I share stories, personal insights and original songs which demonstrate how similar we all are In our imperfection.