Deaf, blind, unstoppable

He’s got one paid internship and will soon add a second. He goes sailing, can play three instruments, is on the verge of earning his black belt in taekwondo, makes a variety of items on a 3D printer and took college classes while still in high school.

As accomplished as that is for any 19-year-old, Sid Miller of Cedar Grove adds a couple of tiers of tremendous.

He’s blind in one eye, legally blind in the other and has moderate to severe hearing loss from being born prematurely. He has overcome dyslexia and dysgraphia. He was named to his school’s National Honor Society.

“I try to cross barriers rather than just staying afraid,” he said.

Miller was born in Thailand and lived in an orphanage until he was 3. He was adopted and lived in Janesville before 

coming to Cedar Grove in first grade.

Brick-and-mortar schooling didn’t suit him. “I needed accommodations and captioning,” he said. “But they did not give it to me.”

He struggled academically into ninth grade and didn’t make many friends. The pandemic presented more challenges during eighth grade.

“It was not a great time because teachers, when they were speaking, didn’t speak toward the mic so you could not hear them. All you could see was their back, and their voices were mumbled,” Miller said.

His mother, who works as a children’s therapist, ended up homeschooling him.

Miller caught up three grade levels and reached the same level as his classmates in ninth grade.

Then he enrolled at Wisconsin Virtual Academy based in McFarland. Miller flourished.

“Virtual school met all of my needs and more. I liked it and I had tons of great teachers who were supportive,” he said.

“I sucked at math. I had a great math teacher who taught me things if I needed to relearn it. I’m doing OK in math now.”

He used to have trouble reading because he didn’t get large print or digital copies. With the appropriate tools, he said, “I could read like a normal person.”

Higher education became a possibility. Miller took a liking to graphic design and will attend Milwaukee Area Technical College in fall. He and his orientation and mobility instructor made a list of scholarships that addressed Miller’s deaf and blind status. The New York City-based Lighthouse Guild was one that fit the bill.

In May, Miller got a letter saying some of his college bills would be paid — $10,000 worth. He was one of 17 scholarship recipients.

“It was emotional,” he said. “My parents kinda got teary eyed.”

Miller will split online and in-person classes at MATC. His father, a microbiologist and who teaches at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, will take him to school.

Miller has already taken a few classes at MATC during high school through the state’s Start College Now program.

It’s a bright future for someone whose daily tasks are often taken for granted by those with their full complement of vision and hearing.

“I do not have depth perception and I don’t have peripheral vision. I can’t tell how far away from me something is so I have trouble just walking across streets,” Miller said.

He uses a cane for mobility until he gets familiar  with an area. He keeps using his cane anywhere that isn’t well lit.

“Light is a big factor in my accessibility,” Miller said.

He’s already getting a taste of his career aspirations, doing 3D printing for the Wisconsin Deafblind Technical Assistance Project.

“They saw my art and technical expertise and asked if I could 3D print things for them, and I’ve been doing that for a while,” Miller said.

He has printed a three-part 36-inch Elucidator sword used by the anime character Kirito that Miller made of polylactic acid filament, a material similar to plastic but biodegradable.

He will soon start a second paid internship this summer, creating an ecommerce website for Career Coaches of Wisconsin.

Art has been a passion since Miller was young. Digital art has been added to his love of drawings and paintings.

He uses the Islands of Brilliance, a software program designed for people on the autism spectrum, to create book covers and character and costume designs.

Art, he said, is an escape.

“I don’t have to worry about having disabilities. I don’t have a problem doing art. I have all the tools I need. All you need for digital art is a pen and an iPad,” he said.

Miller loves living near water and takes to the sea through the Sailing Education Association of Sheboygan (SEAS) adaptive sailing program.

He started in a boat the size of a bathtub and has worked up to about a 20-footer.

“They have special sailboats for people with disabilities. If you can’t use your hands you can use your mouth,” Miller said.

Miller, who can swim but always wears a life jacket, has sailed out of the harbor and out on Lake Michigan.

“I think it’s kinda fun. Big waves give me more challenges and things I try to learn, like tipping my boat over,” he said. “I never have done it and hopefully never will.”

He has taken piano lessons since he was 4 and he taught himself how to play guitar and drums.

“I’m pretty good at playing things by ear. I teach myself little notes and rhythms,” he said.

His favorite type of music is heavy metal — AC/DC, Metallica, Avenged Sevenfold and the like.

“I’m that type of guy,” he said.

Miller got into taekwondo because “I wanted to do something other than just sit around in the house.”

A Plymouth studio, he said, “pushed me to do the best I can” and he hopes to earn his black belt by fall.

He doesn’t have any memory of living in Thailand but he has visited his former orphanage and maintains some of its culture. He loves fried rice and pasties, which are like large egg rolls filled with meat and vegetables. His father learned how to make fried rice and curry.

“My dad is a good cook,” he said.

His family has Thai pictures in the house as well to maintain Miller’s heritage.

Miller said he never planned to be an inspiration for people with disabilities, but he accepts his role and is grateful to those guiding him along the way.

“I got to thank my parents a lot for helping me throughout my life. I got to say I persevered a lot as well,” he said.

“I thank technology – hearing aids, glasses, large-screen monitors and closed captioning to help me tell what people are saying. Technology’s a big help in my life.”

He will attend the Midwest Transition Institute for Youth conference for the deaf and blind in Indianapolis this summer as he eagerly awaits the challenge and fun that comes with college.

Miller hopes others like him follow their own dreams.

“I feel like other people should know they should not be afraid to go out into the world and do things that they love just because they have a disability,” he said.

“People should know that.”