Harold W. Snider, 32°, KCCH

Dr. Harold Snider has shown that
blindness is no handicap to a Masonic leader.

Since 1998 I have been a Scottish Rite Mason in the Valley of Washington, D.C., and have regularly communicated the degrees at our reunions. This requires reading the degree scripts aloud to the candidates in a darkened room while they view slides exemplifying key points of each degree (a job for which I am uniquely qualified). The Supreme Council honored me with the KCCH at the 2001 Biennial Session in Charleston, South Carolina, and from February 2004 to February 2005, I served as Venerable Master of the Mithras Lodge of Perfection. I did all this as a blind person with the assistance and encouragement of my brothers. Some members in my Valley and elsewhere continue to be amazed at the accomplishments of someone without sight. They probably do not understand or believe that a blind Brother can contribute equally in our fraternity. It is worth setting the record straight.

I don’t regard myself as amazing. Yes, I have had a very good education, and being able to read Braille as rapidly as most of you can read print helps immensely. But there is more to it. Like any Masonic officer, my achievements in the Scottish Rite were due to the encouragement and support of the leaders in my Valley, particularly Illustrious Brothers George R. Adams, Deputy in the District of Columbia; Charles S. Iversen, Past SGIG in the District of Columbia; and Jerold J. Samet, Personal Representative.

I brought some leadership skills with me that have been polished in the Scottish Rite. When I was studying for a doctorate at Oxford University in England, I participated in the Oxford Union, perhaps the most famous debating society in the world. Participants learn the techniques of declamation and the art of public speaking and oratory. Numerous British prime ministers, cabinet secretaries, and members of Parliament also got their start in the Oxford Union. Before my initiation into Freemasonry, I was entrusted with the leadership of a number of organizations, which required me to preside at meetings.

After joining the Scottish Rite, Illustrious Brother Iversen asked me if I would like to become an officer in the Mithras Lodge of Perfection. I moved through the chairs and eventually served as the Venerable Master with just a few changes in normal procedure. Since I couldn’t see who was seeking the floor, brethren wishing to speak were required to state their names and then say, “Venerable Master.” I quickly remedied the occasional rough spot with humor when a brother forgot this rule. This was the only difference in the way I presided.

So you see, I am not particularly amazing! I enjoyed being Venerable Master of Mithras Lodge of Perfection, and I still enjoy communicating the degrees during our reunions. I hope that those who read this article will encourage brethren with disabilities to take an active part in the work of their Valleys to the extent they are able. In October 2005 I likely will become Worshipful Master of the Pythagoras Lodge of Research under the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia. On the evening of my installation I intend to present a research paper about the involvement of brethren with disabilities in Freemasonry based on a survey I will shortly circulate to Grand Lodges. I always look forward to gaining further light in Freemasonry—and to sharing it with my brethren.

Harold W. Snider holds a doctorate in Modern British History from Oxford University, is President of ACCESS for the Handicapped, Inc (AHI), and is the Chairman of the International Braille Research Center. He served as Deputy Director of the National Council on Disability from 1990 to 1992 under the administration of George Bush, Sr. He is a member of Silver Spring Lodge #215, Silver Spring, Md., Past Master of General George C. Marshall Lodge No. 55, D.C., and Sr. Warden of Pythagoras Lodge of Research, D.C.