Kevin Frost::Usher Syndrome Deaf-Blind Speed Skater

At first glance, Kevin Frost's website address appears to be an off-the-wall joke: www.deafblindspeedskater.com .

Frost, however, is completely serious.

At 37, he's legally deaf and blind, and dedicated to making it to the medal podium at either the Olympic or Paralympic Games in speed skating.

Regardless of his success, he eventually wants to establish his own foundation, actively supporting and encouraging athletes with disabilities to shed their inhibitions and pursue their dreams. In the process, he also hopes to draw more public awareness toward the disabled.

"I want my kids (Madison, 8, Montana, 6, Mitchell, 3) to grow up and see that their Dad did something, that he gave back to society," Frost said yesterday at the Earl Armstrong Arena, following a skate with Ken Dryden, the federal minister of social development and former star goaltender for the Montreal Canadiens. "I want people to treat the disabled the same as they treat everyone else."

Frost has lived most of his life with a disability.

At 11, he was diagnosed with a 75-per-cent hearing loss, but he managed a relatively normal childhood. He graduated from Gloucester High School with the help of a hearing aid and by learning to lip read.

As a young adult, he started a family with his wife, Kim. He spent his spare time playing hockey and refereeing more than 20,000 minor hockey games.

Then, two years ago, he became alarmed when his night vision became cloudy. His eyesight continued to deteriorate. He began stepping on his kids' toys, even bumping into his children occasionally. He was knocking bottles off tables.

After checking with doctors, he was diagnosed with Usher's Syndrome, discovering that he had lost all of his peripheral eyesight. He had only eight to 10 per cent of his former vision.

Frost illustrates what he sees and hears with props he brings to the rink. He has a pair of glasses with only pea-sized holes in otherwise blacked out lenses.

He also has a pair of earmuffs, which drown out all but the loudest noise, and makes just about everything come across as a low, humming sound.

After being diagnosed, doctors were obligated to take his driver's licence away. He was forwarded to the Canadian National Institute of the Blind, where he was educated about the natural stages before acceptance: anger, denial, grieving.

Family life changed, with Kim Frost forced to work full-time and Kevin Frost wondering how he would approach the rest of his life.

"It was a tough adjustment, extremely tough on her, and I try to help out where I can," Frost said.

Finally, Frost discovered a way to make a positive impact, channelling his frustrations and his love for hockey and refereeing into something tangible: he took up speed skating with a vengeance.

He's grateful for the support of the countless sponsors who listened to his story, including Bont, an inline speed skating company based in Australia, and Ottawa's Lacroix Sports. Their support has allowed him to hire top coaches and travel to meets. His commitment and determination hasn't gone unnoticed.

Driven to deliver

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On Friday, he'll be honoured during a Celebration of People event, part of International Day of Disabled Persons.

His story also drew the attention of Dryden, who, as part of a mentoring program sponsored by Citizen Advocacy, spent his morning with Frost.

Dryden is full of praise for Frost because he is showing that anything and everything is possible. Dryden also took several laps in Frost's skates, wearing the glasses and earmuffs to get a feel for what Frost deals with.

"If you go back 20 years ago, people with disabilities were, for the most part, out of sight -- either out of sight in their homes or out of sight in institutions," he said. "The more in sight disabled people are, the more awareness there is. That's a good thing."

Frost prefers long-track to short-track, where the wild and crazy nature of negotiating turns in tight corners often results in collisions and wipe-outs among skaters with perfect vision.

Given the shortage of long speed skating ovals, though, he doesn't have much choice but to compete in short track events for most of the season.

Dryden says Frost deserves to be celebrated for attempting something new, marvelling at his bravery for taking on the short-track variety.

Frost is improving. Every meet he competes in, he establishes a personal best. As the only disabled skater, he finished second in an event in Cambridge, Ont., last weekend.

"Kevin is doing awesome," says coach Ron Guerard. "Last year, he did the 500 metres in 1:18. This year, he does the 500 metres in 56 seconds. My goal is to put him on the platform at the Olympics, and he will do it. He's dedicated, he listens and he doesn't waste anyone's time."

The Canadian short-track record at 500 metres is 41.184 seconds.

Frost also has a conditioning coach and a coach advising him on the technical and tactical aspects of racing. He also works closely with Ivanie Blondin, a promising 14-year-old short track racer who is aiming to be on Canada's 2010 Olympic team.

While Frost would be ideally suited to compete in the Paralympics, speed skating is not yet a sanctioned event. He suggests that might change if visually impaired hockey players learn about others competing.

Event organizers have been receptive to subtle changes for Frost: orange, instead of black cones in the corners and a red flag instead of a bell to signal the last lap.

Frost has only heard the odd criticism from fellow competitors, jealous because he has received mild attention due to his unique situation. Most skaters, he says, have accepted him into competitions with open arms, understanding what he's trying to accomplish for himself and other athletes with disabilities.

"Obviously, I have a ton of people behind me," he says. "It's going to take a lot of work, but at the end, I hope the disabled world will win. It's all about educating and awareness. Terry Fox was a true Canadian. He created money. He gave something back."