December 14, 2015

Describing a Glen Mills resident as active understates his wide range of avocations, not to mention his multiple vocations.

However, when failing eyesight caused Frank Pedicone to lose his driver’s license about four years ago, his ability to pursue those myriad interests was suddenly imperiled.

“I could have just curled up on the couch in front of the TV and felt sorry for myself,” he recalled. “Of course, I wouldn’t have been able to see the screen.”

Pedicone had been diagnosed with macular degeneration, an incurable, often age-related loss of vision in the center of the eye. It affects an estimated 15 million Americans, according to the American Society of Retina Specialists.

Instead of wallowing in despair, Pedicone said he made a wise decision: He listened to Dr. Leonard H. Ginsburg from the Moore Eye Institute and contacted the Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CBVI) in Chester. Since 1941, it has assisted residents in the greater Delaware Valley who are blind or have low vision with maintaining their self-sufficiency.

Mary Sue Boyle, an East Bradford Township resident and the agency’s administrative and development director, said CBVI serves approximately 1,000 people annually. “Our goal is to keep people as independent as possible,” she said.

In the past year, the demand for computer assistive technology training has doubled, jumping from 189 to 380. Boyle said the success of those services has generated more referrals from the Bureau of Blind and Visual Services as well at the Veterans Administration.

Pedicone, whose careers have included work as a CPA, personal income-tax specialist, and real-estate broker, represented the perfect candidate for assistance, Boyle said. At age 78, he is still doing tax returns and selling homes; however, he said he plans to retire from the latter profession at the end of this year.

He acknowledged that he’s no longer able to pass the IRS certifications that would allow him to charge money to do tax returns, but that’s not an obstacle, he said. “I’ve been doing the returns for some of these people for so long that I don’t want to abandon them,” he said. “So I just do it for free.”

Pedicone explained that when he lost his driver’s license, he explained to his real-estate clients that he would be happy to help them but they would have to drive. “No one objected, so that’s what we did,” Pedicone said.

A graduate of Villanova University, Pedicone never misses a Wildcats’ home basketball game, participates in a weekly dining club, and entertains his friends with a weekly email that alerts them to not-too-be-missed celebrations such as Hot Fudge Sunday and National Pie Day.

Pedicone said his wife of 44 years, Ronnie, who died in 2014, inspired his can-do attitude during her prolonged battle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Her lung damage occurred from a fire she experienced at the age of 20. “She never gave up, and I wasn’t going to, either,” Pedicone said.

Since contacting CBVI, Pedicone, who has some peripheral vision remaining, said he’s become proficient with magnifiers and a variety of computer programs such as JAWS, a screen reader. Some of the programs enlarge type while others offer voice-recognition technology.

“Until I got into it, I didn’t know what was out there,” he said, adding that the electronic advances have been a godsend.

Boyle, who took note of Pedicone’s antiquated flip-style cellphone during a recent visit, recommended that he consider upgrading to an Apple iPhone 6. She said Apple has offered the best technology for the blind and visually impaired, but Android is gaining ground.

By adding programs to the phones, users like Pedicone can identify money, read documents, speak and hear emails, identify colors which assist is selecting clothing and other items, and even determine if lights are on in a room. The GPS can navigate foot traffic and identify various locations as well as public transportation, Boyle said.

Pedicone, the father of three children and grandfather of two, said he planned to look into the phone. He said he considers himself extremely lucky. He said his two daughters – Rebecca and Tricia – live locally and stop in regularly. “I truly am blessed,” he said. “My daughters take good care of me.”

Pedicure’s home – shared with Chewy, a rescued dog that bears a striking resemblance to Star Wars’ Chewbacca – is thoroughly decked out for the holidays, from a Christmas tree in the living room to holiday-themed dishtowels in the kitchen.

His daughter Rebecca said her father did most of the decorating himself. She said she and her siblings discovered another of his talents that they intend to put to use: “He’s a really good [present] wrapper,” she said.

Pedicone said he’s eager to start cutting and folding paper and tying ribbons. “I do like to keep myself occupied,” he said with a smile.

He said he hoped others who might find themselves with similar vision problems would heed the same advice he did: Take advantage of the help that’s available.

“You can sit and mourn and feel sorry for yourself, but I might not be here now if I’d done that,” he said.