After working with wood nearly his entire life, Dennis Stapley decided to become a teacher, the Deseret News reports. Like his father, who taught wood shop in high school, he honed his skills over the years to the level of master craftsman, making fine furniture, guitars and even caskets. But unlike the average teacher, Stapley is visually impaired.
He says he has been legally blind since 1985, and totally blind since 2001. As a boy, he spent a lot of time in his father’s woodshop.
“Around Christmas time, we spent almost a month in the shop,” he said. “Woodworking is more than a hobby, it’s a way of life.”
In the Salt Lake City Valley, Stapley has his own shop, but he does a lot of his work at the Utah Division of Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired. In the woodshop, built just like any other packed with dangerous power tools and equipment, students are either visually impaired or are required to undergo blindfolded training for several months.
Two of his students are currently making guitars, although none play the instrument, and it has inspired Stapley to take up lessons.
He teaches his students patience and humility, and they are a testament to his talent:
Legally blind his whole life, one young student said “Dennis is by far the best teacher I’ve ever had. I’ve been able to learn more from him than any teacher I’ve ever dealt with.”
Stapley enjoys his work.
“Where else do you get paid where you get to help people, and you get to play with power tools?” he said.