Timberlake: Quin Conley is ready to see the world, despite vision impairment

A warm-faced affable young man, 18-year-old Quin Conley is preparing to graduate from Timberlake High School in Spirit Lake this month.

He’s a bit apprehensive about leaving because he’s found a wonderful and encouraging home there, where he is valued and has work to do – which is how he wants his life to continue .

Conley was born with optic nerve hypoplasia, causing significant visual impairment, and has persevered through an autism diagnosis to become an awesome and caring student who loves people, according to school counselor and teacher Casi Lupinacci.

He is the semi-official greeter of new students and escorts substitute teachers and guests to where they need to go in the school. And he is inquisitive about everyone he meets. He asks for permission, then politely inquires about their birthdays (including the year).

And if the new people he meets don’t mind, he’ll ask, too, where they were born and what places they’ve visited – and perhaps most important, if they’ve ever ridden a subway. He is fascinated by trains, especially subways. Conley knows the birthdays of all the Timberlake teachers and staff and most of the students he’s talked with, and, should he encounter anyone he’s met later on or someplace else, he’ll have retained the information.

Conley proudly shares that he loves travel, and with his family has visited 36 states, England and Canada. New York City and Atlanta are standouts for him because of their awesome subways, and he is looking forward to a family trip this summer to Holland and Belgium.

He states he is not one to let his vision troubles stop him from doing the things he wishes to do. He uses a magnifier when reading to stay current in his studies, with government and history being his favorite subjects. He works at a grocery store through the Idaho Commission for the Blind and has had other jobs, including a summer one where he met his girlfriend, who comes from French Polynesia.

He enjoys going to church, and he has 2,000 phone numbers in his phone. “Part of the Catholic religion is being prepared,” he said.

He does plan to continue his education at North Idaho College and hopes eventually to teach English overseas.

The next step in his list of goals accomplished is graduating and moving out into a wider and less-sheltered world, something which gives Conley a bit of pause. He understands that he’s “treated like royalty here.”

But he also observes, “I’m not going to let time and place stop me.”