Students set sights on bright future; Exceptional students make exceptional progress

• April
• 8

8:25 am Trucks

Don’t make the mistake of telling Renald Casavant there is something he can’t do, because chances are you’re going to find yourself eating your own words. This 19-year-old second-year Sault College student has succeeded at nearly everything he’s ever tried.

In high school at Ecole Carrefour Superieur Nord, back in his hometown of Wawa, he tried out for all the teams and ended up playing every sport imaginable. He was known as the strong and fast basketball player who could make it down the court to score the points for his team, the goalie that never let a puck get passed him, the volleyball player that could be counted on to return a serve.

Now at Sault College in the Heavy Equipment/Truck Repair program, Renald still seeks action and adventure, this time focusing his efforts on his program of study as well as off-trail biking and down-hill skiing on the week-ends. The only catch?

Renald Casavant is legally blind.

“There is almost nothing I won’t try,” says a charismatic Renald with a self-assured smile. “I can do everything other people can do,” he adds.

Casavant’s life would show that he is a man of his words.

He started wearing his first pair of glasses at the age of seven. His eyes got progressively worse over the next seven years, leaving him legally blind at the age of 14. Now, he makes his way through the world seeing only outlines, shadows, and light - what he refers to as “short detail.”

“I can see out of the sides of my eyes better than what’s in front of me, but I can see it if I get really close,” he explains.