Walter Ashby
Walter Ashby is the author of Impaired, But Empowered: A Memoir of Faith, Fortitude and Fortune, http://www.walterashby.com. In this compelling book, Walter details how he was able to build a highly successful, happy life for himself despite growing up legally blind in a tiny North Texas town during the 50s and 60s, isolated from his peers and written off by many adults as someone who would never amount to much of anything given his disability.
Walter proved all of the naysayers wrong through a combination of grit, perseverance, hard work, an absolute refusal to let others define him, as well as the support of a handful of adults, including his father and a high school teacher. Among things for example, Walter earned a Master degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Texas A&M University and as well as a MBA from the University of Texas Permian Basin. In addition, Walter worked as a Senior City Planner for the City of Midland, as an Assistant Vice President of Marketing Research for the First National Bank of Midland and as a Bank Liquidation Specialist for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). While there, he received the “Presidential Award for Most Outstanding Federal Employee with a Disability.” Walter currently enjoys a highly successful career as a licensed financial advisor with Edward Jones in McKinney.
Walter is also a professional speaker who uses his personal story to inspire audiences to “shoot for the stars,” overcome obstacles and setbacks, and never lose sight of their goals. He also provides the parents of visually impaired young people and their teachers with practical advice about how to encourage those children to think big and not allow their impairments to get in the way of their dreams.