Daniel has a significant mental disability. He has difficulty both processing language and expressing his thoughts verbally. Unfortunately, some people might focus their attention on those deficits and fail to see the artist within. If you explore further, you will find that he has a unique musical gift. Spire says of himself, "I play freehand, which is a problem for most people. Music is my L-O-V-E."
He has been employed by Goodwill Industries of Fort Worth for the past 10 years. During that time, Daniel has worked as an assembler in Goodwill's facility-based contracts division where he sorts hangers into various sizes five days a week. He says that he enjoys his job and feels good about the paycheck he earns for his labor.
Goodwill Industries of Fort Worth is in the business of looking past a person's disabilities and focusing rather on their abilities. They provide the education, training and career services necessary to place thousands of people in jobs each year. Their main goal can be summed up this way: "Goodwill believes that work has the power to transform lives by building self-confidence, independence, creativity, trust and friendships. Everyone deserves this chance."
As Goodwill likes to say, Mr. Spire is a good example of the fact that "You can't hear a person's abilities when you're only listening for their disabilities." And in Daniel's case, that would be a shame, because you would miss all the interesting notes, chords and melodies that truly define the man.
Daniel taught himself to play the piano about 20 years ago. He cannot read music and plays completely by ear. "I can listen to a song one time and then play it," he says. He can hear the music playing in his head and knows when he hits a wrong note. Daniel has lent his talent to many events like Movies that Matter, which was held in conjunction with the City of Fort Worth's Human Relations Commission, and at the 2011 Goodwill Christmas party where he played a concert of Christmas favorites.
At the First Annual Goodwill Industries Talent Show last year, Daniel took third place. His face looked determined when I asked him about it. It seems that he has his sights set on the big prize next year. He added, "Mine was perfect!"
At age 33, he lives in a group home and plays his keyboard for enjoyment, adding to his repertoire daily. "I always play and practice," he says. Spire has even taught fellow Goodwill contract employees how to play the piano. When asked what his favorite song was, a serene smile came across his face and he told me, "The Rose by Bette Midler. It was the first song I ever learned to play."
Before performing for me, he said, "I used to play Maroon 5. I liked it. I want to see if I will play good today." He chose to play What About Now by Daughtry. As he sat down at the piano, his hands hovered over the keys for a minute as Spire cued up the song in his head before pushing play.
His movements looked like that of a trained professional, his foot touching the pedal comfortably, and his deft fingers making no mistakes. When Daniel Spire plays, words like disability or handicap are swept away with every key that he touches. A talent like that has a way of shattering every preconceived notion.
-by Courtney Dabney
