Man overcomes blindness to fulfill dream to become auto mechanic

Clifford Anderson said he feels like hes living a dream.

Alderson, 48, recently earned his auto mechanics degree from a joint New Mexico State University-Dona Ana Community College program by listening and learning to feel his way around the vehicle, KOAT-TV reported.

Born with retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic disease that led to his blindness, Alderson got his on-the-job training at a small auto shop in Alamogordo and plans on making a career out of his talents.

His mother has the disease, as does his 15-year-old daughter, Lydia.

"When I graduated it didn't feel like I graduated. I felt like I was in a dream," said Alderson, who walks with a collapsible cane.

Damian Orchard, of All Makes Automotive, says, for the most part, he could just tell Alderson what needed to be done on a car and Alderson takes care of the rest.

"A good majority of (the repairs) I could turn Cliff loose, once I told him what we needed to do," Orchard said.

Orchard told the Albuquerque Journal that the repairs Alderson can tackle include brake jobs, shocks, water and power steering pumps, alternators, and changing hoses.

Joe Retana, a professor at the auto mechanics program, said Alderson is an enthusiastic person who never let any disability get in the way.

"He's very exciting and he's a go-getter," Retana said. "Nothing seems to stop him."

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Man overcomes blindness to fulfill dream to become auto mechanic