Port Washington resident Dr. Robert J. Smithdas, former Director of Community Education, passes away at age 89

Dr. Robert J. Smithdas, author, lecturer and poet, passed away yesterday July 17 at the age of 89.  Born on June 7, 1925, in Brentwood, Pennsylvania (a suburb of Pittsburgh), he contracted cerebro-spinal meningitis at the age of four and a half and as a result, lost his vision and nearly all of his hearing.  Dr. Smithdas' formal schooling began at Western Pennsylvania School for the Blind and later attended the renowned Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, MA.  He received a fellowship for attendance at St. John's University in New York where he earned his bachelor of arts degree, cum laude in 1950.  Three years later, he became the first person who was deaf-blind to earn a master's degree.  He achieved this distinction at New York University, where he specialized in vocational guidance and rehabilitation of the handicapped. 

Dr. Smithdas was also the recipient of four honorary degrees: Doctor of Letters from Gallaudet University, Washington, D.C.; Doctor of Humanities from Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan; Doctor of Humane Letters, from his alma mater, St. John's University; Doctor of Humane Letters, Mount Aloysius College, Cresson, PA.

He was employed by IHB and worked in the agency's Community Relations Department from 1950 to 1960.  From 1960 to 1969 he was associate director of Services for the Deaf-Blind, in charge of overall client welfare.  In 1962 he was engaged in a research and demonstration project, conducted by IHB.  He was responsible for providing rehabilitative counseling and consultation services in addition to his major activities in community relations.  Later, with Helen Keller and Peter Salmon, he played a vital role in the development of legislation which was enacted as part of the 1967 Amendments to the Vocational Rehabilitation Act, and which authorized the establishment of the Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults (HKNC). 

In 1960, he was elected to membership in the Poetry Society of America and was honored as Poet of the Year for 1960-61.  In 1965, he was named "Handicapped American of the Year" by the President's Committee on Employment of People Who Are Disabled.  His awards included the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement, recognition from the New York State Speech and Hearing Association for outstanding contributions in the rehabilitation of the handicapped, the Alice Cogswell Award from Gallaudet University in 1981 for valuable service on behalf of people who are deaf, and was chosen as the Nassau County "Disabled Artist of the Year" in April 1983.  He received the "Medal of Excellence" from the New York State Board of Regents in July 1984, and served as Chairman, Legislation and Advocacy Committee, Nassau County Community Advocacy Panel from 1982-84.  The Long Island Association (LIA) selected Dr. Smithdas as the recipient of the 1985 Harry Chapin "Humanitarian Award for Community Service," and in 1988, he was inducted into the National Hall of Fame for Persons with Disabilities.  In November, 1995, Dr. Smithdas received the Migel Medal for professional achievement from the American Foundation for the Blind in New York, and the Peter J. Salmon Memorial Award from AADB for life-long service to deaf-blind communities around the world in 1998.

Dr. Smithdas was a former member of the Advisory Committee to the U.S. Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board, and was a member of the President's Committee on Employment of the People Who Are Disabled, Washington, D.C.; former vice-president of the American Association of the Deaf-Blind, and former chairman of the Committee on Activities of Deaf-Blind People of the World Blind Union, headquartered in Paris.

In addition to his autobiography he was the author of several collections of poems including, City of the Heart, published by Taplinger Press in 1966, and Shared Beauty, in 1983.

Dr. Smithdas and his wife Michelle (who is also deaf-blind) made their home in Port Washington, New York and were featured in an interview with Barbara Walters on 20/20 in October 1998 (re-broadcast in May 1999).

Perhaps his personal philosophy is best summed up by a line from one of his poems, "Shared Beauty":  "I call it Life, and laugh with its delight, Though life itself be out of sound and sight."

A memorial scholarship fund for HKNC students has been created in Dr. Smithdas’ memory.  In lieu of flowers, please send any donations to:  Marina Carroll, Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths & Adults, 141 Middle Neck Road, Sands Point, NY  11050 or via email,marina.carroll@hknc.org.