Landa Phelan

It’s tough turning an especially sour batch of lemons into sweet and refreshing lemonade, but when Landa Phelan lost her eyesight, she took it as an opportunity to educate the community and change the lives of other blind and disabled people in Hawaii.

That’s why Shirley Sypert, who met Phelan earlier this year while riding the bus, nominated the Hawaii Kai resident, who has been blind for 17 years, for the Star-Advertiser’s Heroes Next Door recognition.

"She spoke to me about all the things she does, and it made me realize that there are angels like her helping so many others in need," said Sypert, who used to suffer from post-polio syndrome and produces ‘Olelo cable TV shows such as "Class Act" and "Post Polio and Me." "Having been a disabled person in the past myself for years, I know what one goes through. But I thought, ‘This person is making a vital difference in our society.’"

Eight years after moving to the islands from the San Francisco Bay Area in 1987, Phelan was diagnosed with wet macular degeneration, a chronic eye disease that affects the retinas and causes the loss of central vision.

"My whole world got yanked out from under me," she said. "It was a shock and I was scared. One day you see, one day you don’t."

Coping with the loss of a sense that enabled her love of the visual arts and allowed for an active lifestyle was difficult, and Phelan admits she struggled with bouts of depression and embarrassment because of her blindness.

But the discrimination she and other disabled individuals encounter ignited a passion for advocacy and volunteerism that has made Phelan a leader in the local blind and disabled communities.

"When I lost my sight, I realized that there was a lack of knowledge in the community about people with disabilities," she said. "I want to make things better today for tomorrow. I’m actually not sorry I lost my sight because I wouldn’t be doing what I do, and I wouldn’t know these wonderful people that I’ve met. I’m very blessed."

Phelan is involved with various organizations for the blind and disabled, mentors blind and deaf-blind children, sits on state Sen. Suzanne Chun-Oakland’s Deaf/Blind task force and recently joined the state’s Emergency Preparedness Planning team as a volunteer member of the Disability and Communication Access Board.

She said she is concerned about emergency preparedness and language access because "we need it. Especially when it comes to emergency preparedness, I worry about people who cannot speak or read, or speak or read English."

She was recently certified to give emergency preparedness presentations and is working with a Florida-based company that makes devices to help people with limited language skills. She said Civil Defense is in the early stages of a pilot project of the units for emergency shelters.

"I love what I do," Phelan said. "I (volunteer and advocate) to help. It’s the right thing for me to do. I don’t know why I went and lost my sight, but there’s a saying, ‘God has a plan,’ and now I understand."

Phelan also has a business, Sharper Senses, that provides sensitivity training and education in Americans with Disabilities Act laws. She offers most of the training for free.

About eight years ago Phelan started training cabdrivers after an incident with a driver who refused to allow her to bring Miss Pearline, her black labrador guide dog, who died earlier this year, into his cab.

According to the Department of Justice, under ADA laws, state and local governments, businesses and nonprofit organizations generally must allow service animals to accompany people with disabilities everywhere the public is normally allowed.

Phelan said she called the cabdriver’s company to inform it of the incident and presented two options: allow her to educate its drivers on ADA laws and sighted guide techniques for free, or she would sue. The company chose the training.

Phelan has also done training for organizations like the Girl Scouts and local businesses, and has been training drivers for TheHandi-Van since 2007.

When Sypert met Phelan, she said she was so inspired by what Phelan does that she filmed one of Phelan’s Handi-Van driver training sessions and featured her on an episode of "Post Polio and Me."

"She’s a very selfless person and a wonderful role model," Sypert said, "Her spirit is just totally giving."