At First Sight: The Shirl Jennings Story

"Sight is an amazing gift, and one which most of us learn from infancy, starting after birth when our eyes learn to focus. Through infancy, toddler years, and on into school years, our brains are trained to remember objects by how they look. The blind cannot do this. They use tactile sensations to identify and relate to everything.

When Shirl's sight was restored, the visual overload was almost devastating. He had no idea what he was looking at and the task of learning it all was emotionally and mentally challenging, as well as a huge physical burden.

Barbara Jennings, Shirl's wife, was determined that he could adjust to a life with sight and navigated unchartered waters to teach him everything - colors, alphabet, numerals, household objects, types of buildings and structural materials, trees and shurbs, animals, roads, railroads, airplanes, bridges, tunnels...the list was endless. There was always more for Shirl to learn."- from atfirstsighthebook.com



Shirl Jennings creating art, courtesy of Barbara Jennings

The story of Barbara Jennings, a graduate of UI&U's M.A. Psych program, and her late husband Shirl may be familiar to some of you, as their life story was given a glossy Hollywood adaptation in 1999 via the film At First Sight, starring Val Kilmer and Mira Sorvino.  But as with any life story, perhaps the best narrator is the one who has lived it; in this case, Shirl himself, who, alongside Barbara and Margery Phelps, created At First Sight, the Shirl Jennings Story: The story behind the MGM motion picture, which is now available for purchase at Amazon.com.

Aside from the book, Barbara has preserved her husband's inspiring legacy by posting his gorgeous artwork on the At First Sight website.  There is a great deal of beauty in the couple's story and in the work Shirl created, and we hope that you will take the time to experience it for yourself.



Sun and Rays by Shirl Jennings, courtesy of atfirstsighthebook.com