Blind since birth, this teen dreams of an independent life and meeting a musical hero
Jayden Ferrell knows a thing or two about rhythms.
It’s not just the beats of his favorite rap songs or the lyrical flow of his top show tunes. It’s the vibrations of his XBox controller and sounds of video game characters colliding during a fight. It’s the tap of his fingers on his iPhone as it reads his screen aloud to him, the bounce of his walking stick, and the patter of the buttons on his BrailleNote, which is like a laptop computer that allows him to surf the web. It’s the pace of a solid legal argument in a courtroom, and the comedic timing of the wisecracks that keep his loved ones smiling.
The cadence of 16-year-old Ferrell’s daily life is marked by laughter, joy, family and friends, even through tough times. Nearly completely blind since birth due to a congenital condition, Ferrell doesn’t think much about eyesight. His mind is on his interest in musical theater — he’s a big fan of actor, songwriter and playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda. Ferrell can rap and sing parts of “Hamilton” from memory.
Ferrell’s thinking about his goal of becoming a lawyer. He’s been reading up on cases in preparation for a mock trial in one of his classes at Coral Shores High School in the Keys, where he lives. Watching “Law and Order” is a weekly ritual.
He’s also been learning how to cook for himself through lessons at Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, despite his affinity for ordering delivery. In the junk food category, Wendy’s beats McDonald’s, but now that he’s beefing up his kitchen skills, he talks a big game about his home cooking. He’ll concede that his mother Sophia Baker’s lasagna is better, but the chili he made at Miami Lighthouse last year was a contender.
“Sorry Mom, I made better chili than you that day,” Ferrell said from the couch of his mother’s Key Largo apartment during a recent interview. “And we didn’t have no seasonings or nothing. I was just killin’ it.”
There are also the girls he’s talking to on Snapchat, such as the old friend from middle school with whom he reconnected on a summertime trip to Bird Bowl. Ferrell was so busy chatting with her, a cashier at the bowling alley, that his friends had to keep pestering him when it was his turn to roll. He’s not one to throw away his shot at flirting with a girl.
“Every time it wasn’t my turn to bowl, I went back there just to go talk to her, and buy stuff,” he said. “I spent like $20 that day. But I got her Snap too, so it was worth it.”
The bowling trips are part of a host of activities sponsored by Miami Lighthouse, where Ferrell has participated in rehabilitation and educational services since he was a baby. He’s grown into a charismatic teenager with a zest for life and a playful attitude that easily charms most around him, including his Miami Lighthouse counselor, Betty Chavarria. Inspired by his joyful spirit and his dedication to his education and family, she nominated Ferrell for the Miami Herald’s Wish Book this holiday season.
Chavarria has watched Jayden grow up and sharpen his wit, along with a sometimes dry sense of humor.
“One time, one person asked him ‘How is it that you see when you’re blind?’” she recalled. “He responded, ‘I see all dark.’”
Challenges
On the whole, Ferrell cuts a confident, unflappable figure, but it’s not always easy.
“He’s had his doubts,” said Baker, recounting the rare moments when he shows frustration with his blindness. “He has his days where he doesn’t know why it’s him.”
In casual conversation, Ferrell doesn’t really go there, but when asked to share any of the day-to-day moments he finds challenging, he opened up a bit.
“Well, at least in my opinion, you’ll always be viewed as, maybe like, ‘less than,’ by a lot of people. Most of the time, you’ll be viewed as a person who can’t make their own decisions, and that kinda sucks. It’s not fun,” he said. “Also, there are a lot of people with like 50,000 questions I don’t feel like answering, and it gets on your nerves when you hear them.”
A somewhat pointed answer, perhaps, more than halfway through a 45-minute sit-down interview — but a real response from someone who’s as genuine as they come, according to his loved ones. Ferrell is very family oriented, and the last two years have produced some tough moments for this tight-knit group.
In October 2019, Baker’s best friend, one of Ferrell’s “aunts,” passed away. Just two months later Ferrell’s grandfather died. The same week the world was upended by the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, Ferrell’s grandmother, Mary Crawford, was diagnosed with breast cancer. The young man decided to move in with his grandmother.
“I figured I’ll just stay here in case something happens,” he said, sitting on his twin bed while a through-the-wall air conditioner hums. His voice quivering very slightly for a moment, he recalled his earliest memories — Crawford taking him and his younger sister, Jahniya Ferrell, to get soup and chicken wings at their favorite Chinese restaurant.
She underwent chemotherapy, radiation and a double mastectomy before she was declared cancer-free. He still lives with Crawford.
Staying with his grandmother is also a statement to his parents, who separated amicably last year. He didn’t want to choose between them.
“This is how we meet in the middle,” Ferrell said.
Looking toward the future
Chavarria and Baker said the young man is serious about working toward an independent lifestyle when he goes to college and, eventually, law school.
To help that along this holiday season, he could use a new black Jansport backpack, a hygiene kit and electric razor, some new clothes — black dress shoes, size 10 1/2, extra-large polo shirts. He’s also in need of new bedding, pillows and a new set of towels.
To fuel his hobbies, he’d like a Playstation 5 with action adventure games, and some Apple Airpods Pro so he can listen to his music.
“Music is his life,” Baker said.
His ultimate wish is to meet Miranda, one of his musical heroes, the creator and star of “In The Heights” and “Hamilton.” After singing part of “The World Was Wide Enough,” Ferrell imagined meeting Miranda.
“I’d probably pass out from all the excitement,” Ferrell said. In this scenario, he quickly regains his signature confidence. “I would, like, make a whole bet with him that I could do ‘My Shot’ better than he could .... and then I’d do it better than him. Then he’d make me Hamilton in the next Broadway performance, and then I’d wake up from that dream.”
How to help
To help this nominee and 150 other nominees who are in need this year:
▪ To donate, use the coupon found in the newspaper or pay securely online through www.MiamiHerald.com/wishbook
▪ For more information, call 305-376-2906 or emailWishbook@MiamiHerald.com
▪ The most requested items are often laptops and tablets for school, furniture, and accessible vans
Read more at: www.miamiherald.com/wishbook
This story was originally published December 23, 2021 at 7:00 AM.
