In February 2002 when the Texas Center Physically Impaired, (TCPI), had a backlog of 90 orders, NTPCUG was asked by Robert “Bob” Langford, Ph.D., to provide volunteers to help refurbish computers for the blind and the visually impaired. Bob is the founder and President of TCPI and a long-time NTPCUG member. TCPI specializes in providing refurbished computers to the blind and visually impaired.
TCPI, www.handicapability.org, is also a 501(c)3 organization that benefits the blind and visually impaired. TCPI advertises and takes orders for refurbished computers, subject to a $100 donation for supplies and shipping.
As a teenager, Robert was involved in an accident, which left him blind. The incident, says Langford, now 74, changed the course of his life, but not in the way most people would expect. Robert was the first blind student to graduate from his high school, and his university. He went on to earn his Ph.D., taking night classes while teaching blind students during the day. For many years Robert served as executive director of a rehabilitation center, before joining the Texas Commission or the Blind.