Ray McAllister sees the world through his ears and fingertips. Born with a degenerative eye condition, Ray lost an eye at age 5 and his remaining eye followed some years later.

Refusing to give up on his dream of teaching, Ray completed high school and pushed through his bachelors and master's degrees. In 2001, he decided to do something no blind person had done before: earn a doctorate degree in religion from the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary in Berrien Springs, Michigan.

"From the moment I began taking doctoral-level classes, I saw God's hand of providential leading," Ray said.

For a study aid, he used DOS-based software to translate his Hebrew Bible from the original symbols into English characters. Ray also scanned his textbooks and used his computer to read the material back to him. He hit a snag, however, when his books contained Hebrew letters that his computer couldn't recognize. A fellow doctoral candidate working on a similar research topic volunteered to read the text out loud, and Ray took notes from the recordings.

Learning ancient languages meant always looking for creative solutions, including finding magnetic Hebrew letters for tracing, and pressing cuneiform into note cards to touch and read.

In 2002, Ray taught his first class, a four-week summer intensive surveying the Old Testament. Unable to see raised hands, he asked the students to call out their names so he could take their questions. Ray stored the day's material in his laptop, listening to the computer read the lecture to stay on track.

One day before class, Ray felt a strong impression to memorize the upcoming topic. His computer keyboard stopped working the next day, leaving him to recite the lecture from memory.

Four languages (Akkadian, Hebrew, Greek and cuneiform) and 10 years later, Ray was ready to defend his dissertation.

"I remember counting down the days, hours, minutes, even seconds, until the moment when I could defend," Ray said. His nerves were stretched a little tighter when the examiner got a flat tire en route, delaying the process.

All the work and creativity paid off this August, when Ray walked onstage to receive his diploma. In addition to fellow students and professors, he thanks the Michigan Commission for the Blind, his wife Sallie Ann, and of course God, for the roles they played throughout his education.

His plans for the future?

"I would like the opportunity to teach or in some way serve the blind community," Ray emphasizes.

But, if that doesn't work out, he has a backup plan.

"I'll go to massage therapy school," he jokes. "I have to get a job now!"