Krents biography

American blind lawyer (1944/45–1987)

Harold Eliot "Hal" Krents (1944–45 — January 12, 1987) was a blind American lawyer, author, and activist.

He became known for the two movies based on his life: To Race the Wind, based on his autobiography, and Butterflies Are Free based on a play of the same name.

Krents biography

Early life

Krents grew up in Scarsdale, New York. He was legally blind from birth but completely lost his limited vision at the age of nine when his retinas detached after a football injury.^[1] When the local school would no longer allow him to attend, his mother learned braille herself and homeschooled him until the local school would accept him back into mainstream classes.^[2] He attended Scarsdale High School where he was a violinist in the school orchestra, and was president of the school's General Organization.^[1]

Education

Krents attended Harvard College, where he majored in English.

While living in Cambridge he learne