Profile: David De Porte

David De Porte might have more challenges than others, but his outlook on life is entirely positive. The St. John’s in the Village parishioner has been visually impaired for almost 10 years and has had limited vision since birth. Readily adapting to the unforeseen, all the while helping others who also find themselves faced with a life-altering disability, seems to be De Porte’s forte.

In January, De Porte became chair of the Diocesan Committee on Accessibility for People with Disabilities, bringing personal experience as well as a deep-rooted commitment to making life easier for those with impairments to his ministry.

David De Porte, center, serves as head usher at his parish, St. John’s in the Village, Manhattan, with the help of his guide dog and constant companion, Siri.
De Porte, who is visually impaired, was recently named chair of the Diocesan Committee on Accessibility for People with Disabilities.

De Porte looks forward to helping congregations in the Diocese provide greater accessibility. A recent survey by the committee found that a number of parishes offer at least some accessibility. “Not too many are completely wheelchair accessible,” De Porte said. “And in most cases, there is some kind of glitch, like a person in a wheelchair can get through the door but maybe not to the restroom.”

For the hearing impaired, De Porte pointed out that several parishes including St. John’s in the Village have a person sign during mass at regular intervals. Other parishes provide special service leaflets with enlarged print for the visually impaired. De Porte recommends that every parish offer about five or six copies of the service leaflet available every week in a simple typeface, such as Arial, in 18 point, all of which can be done easily on a computer. Graphics and other extras can be taken out.

De Porte said the committee is currently creating a Web site that will be linked to the Diocesan site and will feature ideas and information about accessibility. De Porte also noted that he is very willing to visit and speak to members of parishes and answer questions. “It’s not like Health Department inspectors where I tell you what’s wrong,” De Porte explained, “but to provide assistance and a better hands-on sense of what can be done.” He also encourages parishes to contact the committee, which includes an architect, for recommendations and suggestions.

“You can make more access than you think by using a little common sense and elbow grease,” De Porte noted. “With some thought, a lot can be done.” He gave the example of St. Bartholomew’s, Manhattan, which Open Congregation, an interfaith organization dedicated to making houses of worship of all faiths accessible, named the most improved in accessibility of Protestant churches in New York City. The age of the church, its large space and number of stairs makes such an accomplishment all the more commendable.

“Where there’s a will there’s a way,” De Porte said. And getting people with disabilities inside the church is not the only obstacle. “The goal is not only to come to the church, but to be a part like everyone else,” he explained, “to be a part not just of the worship, but of the presentation of the service.”

De Porte plays a key role in the services at St. John’s in the Village on Waverly Place. He has served as an usher for the past three years, along with his constant companion, Siri, a German Shepherd guide dog. Although some might have been skeptical at first, “Everyone has been won over,” De Porte said. As usher, he, with Siri at his side, greets people at the entrance, hands out service leaflets, answers any questions, takes collection and even counts the money (he can read the numbers on money). The only task he leaves to the other two ushers is helping to find seats during crowded services.

“I think of it as a bit of a triumph,” De Porte said of ushering. “Certain people thought, ‘Gee, is this going to work?’ And this is a triumph for the disabled community because this is something not generally done by a disabled person.” As further proof of De Porte’s ability, he was named head usher by the outgoing chair of the ushering committee.

In general, De Porte participates in life much as others do, enjoying opera, hiking and theater, and continuing as a freelance technical writer and editor. Despite vision limitations, “I always found a way to do things,” he said. “It was never, ‘Poor me.’ ”

De Porte is keenly aware of the challenges of a disability. Since the age of 2, he has worn glasses and has been night-blind since birth. “I thought everyone couldn’t see in the dark until I was 8,” when De Porte went star gazing and realized he was the only one who couldn’t see the stars. Everyone else could see the stars, but De Porte couldn’t. The main causes of De Porte’s sight problems are the degenerative hereditary eye diseases retinitis pigmentosa and glaucoma.

In college, De Porte used his ingenuity to graduate as an English major, even though his poor vision prevented him from reading books. Faced with miles-long reading lists, De Porte found dedicated friends who read all of the books to him.

De Porte was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 1992, and he underwent intensive chemotherapy and radiation that year. While the cancer treatment was successful, another unexpected challenge confronted De Porte: He lost nearly all vision in 1994 and had to learn to get around using a white cane.

This added difficulty did not get De Porte down, however. “I’d gone through cancer, and I thought that if I can deal with cancer, I can deal with anything,” he explained.

In addition to the Diocesan committee, De Porte serves on several other organizations addressing accessibility. He is president of the statewide Guide Dog Users of New York, a member of the Board of Directors of Open Congregation, a recently selected member of the Paratransit Advisory Committee for the Metropolitan Transit Authority and a member of the Graduate Council of Guiding Eyes for the Blind.

“I love doing it,” De Porte said of volunteering with several committees and organizations. “It’s like a new career. It doesn’t pay,” he joked, “but it’s very rewarding.”

To contact the Committee on Accessibility for People with Disabilities, call De Porte at 212-929-6297 or e-mail him at davidandsiri@aol.com.