Marcus Roberts

Marcus Roberts is standing in an elegant hall. Over his right shoulder is a large wall mirror in a gold gilt frame. Marcus is a black man with short cropped hair. He's wearing sunglasses, a peach color dress shirt with a patterned tie under a charcoal grey two button blazer.

Marcus Roberts, hailed as the “the genius of the modern piano,” taught himself to play piano at age five after losing his sight, and stated taking lessons at 12. At 18, he went on to study classical piano at Florida State University. Roberts has won numerous competitions and awards, including a Grammy nomination and AFB’s Helen Keller Achievement Award in 1998. Roberts’ critically acclaimed legacy of recorded music reflects this tremendous artistic versatility. In addition to his renown as a performer, Roberts is also an accomplished composer who has received numerous commissioning awards, including those from Chamber Music America, Jazz at Lincoln Center, ASCAP, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and the Savannah Music Festival. Roberts is an associate professor of music at the School of Music at Florida State University and is currently serving as a Distinguished Visiting Professor of Music at Bard College. He holds an honorary Doctor of Music degree from The Juilliard School.

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Rebecca Alexander, smiling, her arms crossed.

Rebecca Alexander

Rebecca Alexander is an author, psychotherapist, group fitness instructor, advocate, and extreme athlete who is almost completely blind and deaf. Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, she currently lives in New York City. Born with a rare genetic disorder called Usher syndrome type III, …
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Matthew Whitaker, a young black man wearing sunglasses and a gray sweater. His crossed arms are resting on a piano keyboard.

Matthew Whitaker

Matthew Whitaker taught himself to play piano at age 3, the Hammond B3 organ at age 9, and four years later he became the youngest artist to be endorsed by Hammond in its more than 80-year history. He was also named a Yamaha Artist at 15, becoming the youngest musician to join the stellar group of j …
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Haben Girma stands outdoor on a sunny day. She is viewed in three-quarter profile and is looking off to her right,, her face is pensive. Her long dark hair is pulled back in ponytail fashion and golden hoops adorn her ears. Haben is wearing a sleeveless rose-colored dress with raised patterns.

Haben Girma

The first Deafblind person to graduate from Harvard Law School, Haben Girma is a human rights lawyer advancing disability justice. President Obama named her a White House Champion of Change. She received the Helen Keller Achievement Award, a spot on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, and TIME100 Talks. Pr …
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A close-up headshot of Russel Shaffer. He is a clean-shaven white male with a smile on his face. Russell is wearing a

Russell Shaffer

Russell Shaffer is serving as emcee for our "Dinner and Music for a Historic Celebration" event. He is the senior director of Global Culture, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion for Walmart Inc. and AFB’s former board chair. Russell has worked at Walmart for over a decade and has held roles managing globa …
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Marcus Roberts is standing in an elegant hall. Over his right shoulder is a large wall mirror in a gold gilt frame. Marcus is a black man with short cropped hair. He's wearing sunglasses, a peach color dress shirt with a patterned tie under a charcoal grey two button blazer.

Marcus Roberts

Marcus Roberts, hailed as the “the genius of the modern piano,” taught himself to play piano at age five after losing his sight, and stated taking lessons at 12. At 18, he went on to study classical piano at Florida State University. Roberts has won numerous competitions and awards, including a Gram …
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Dr. Hoby Wedler standing outside in a garden, wearing a checked shirt with collar.

Hoby Wedler, Ph D

Hoby Wedler, Ph.D., is a scientist, sensory expert, and entrepreneur. In 2011, Wedler founded Accessible Science, a nonprofit organization that leads annual chemistry camps for blind or visually impaired students throughout North America. That same year, he began opening doors to the world of wine a …
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Christine Ha has dark neck-length hair. She wears a white chef's jacket. She is smiling with arms crossed in front of her.

Christine Ha

Christine Ha is the first-ever blind contestant and season 3 winner of TV’s MasterChef. Ha holds a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Houston and a Bachelor of Business Administration from The University of Texas at Austin. Her first cookbook, Recipes from My Home Kitchen: Asian and American …
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