Matthew Marino rises at 4:45 a.m. to begin a day he鈥檚 already thankful for. He chooses to not think about his vision problems or the surgeries (more than a dozen) his body has endured. Marino says he鈥檚 鈥渉appy鈥� to work out, 鈥渂lessed鈥� to spend time with his daughter and son before they go to school, and 鈥渉onored鈥� to come to work as director of 性视界传媒鈥檚 Toni Jennings Exceptional Education Institute (TJEEI).
鈥淭o lead this amazing team and help change the lives of people with disabilities,鈥� Marino says, summarizing the impact of his work before emphasizing the impact it鈥檚 made on him, 鈥淚 feel like I鈥檓 living a dream every single day.鈥�
A number of factors, personal and professional, feed Marino鈥檚 enthusiasm.
He was once given only a slim chance to walk again. He knows how it feels to vanquish doubt and has witnessed dramatic changes in others because someone believed in them, perhaps for the first time.
He funnels all of this 鈥� passion, teamwork and life experiences 鈥� into his why: Discover better strategies to help more people read, learn and find meaningful employment.
鈥淧eople with learning disabilities are all around us,鈥� says Marino, a professor of special education in the College of Community Innovation and Education. 鈥淭here isn鈥檛 a moment that goes by when I鈥檓 not thinking about how I can make a difference for them.鈥�
His resolve has led to $75.5 million in funding for 18 research projects since 2011. The most recent months, however, have been stunning, with technology unlocking so many doors that Marino can hardly believe what鈥檚 happening.
鈥淲e鈥檙e in a spot with AI that I never thought I鈥檇 see in my lifetime,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t means our opportunities to give people hope are growing.鈥�
Using Tech to Better Serve People
The field of special education is complicated. Disorders, spectrums, challenges that change with age, processing delays, they鈥檙e all part of a giant melting pot.
Marino boils his work down to the largest group: those who have specific learning disabilities 鈥� about 2.4 million students in the United States.
鈥淢ost of them face a constant battle to identify letters and translate them into sounds and words,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he same is true with math symbols and numbers. It takes a ton of persistence to do basic classwork.鈥�
Unfortunately, frustration often leads capable, intelligent people to give up.
鈥淏ut our work with AI is changing everything,鈥� Marino says. He puts us in the shoes of a student to illustrate. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e studying the complexities of cells, trying to read cumbersome texts about mitochondria and osmosis. Now we can show you how to use AI to code words, phrases or symbols and translate them into understandable text.鈥�
The material can be converted to slide decks, podcasts and videos. A process that used to take five days to complete can be done in one minute.
鈥淲hat matters most is that students can learn,鈥� Marino says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a gamechanger for teachers, too. Instead of spending an hour presenting information, they can focus on the reason they love teaching: to give students a better future.鈥�
This far exceeds the futuristic vision Marino brought to 性视界传媒 in 2011.
He didn鈥檛 even intend to accept a position when he came from Washington State University for an interview.
鈥淚鈥檓 an early adopter of technology,鈥� he says. 鈥淥n that trip, I was introduced to 性视界传媒鈥檚 work in VR, AR and . I told my wife, 鈥業 think we need to come here.鈥欌��
He immediately dove in, earning research grants and contracts from agencies like the U.S. National Science Foundation, the Office of Special Education Programs, and Institute of Educational Sciences. He鈥檚 layered the newest advancements into each project.
The progress made, according to Marino, has mostly come from a force more powerful than technology alone: the team of experts at TJEEI.
鈥淭hey have siblings who never thrived because of dyslexia or they鈥檝e cared for a family member with memory loss,鈥� he says. 鈥淲hen a student comes in with a story, at least one of us can relate to it.鈥�
Turning Obstacles into Impact
As for Marino鈥檚 own story, he recites the date as easily as his birthday: Sept. 23, 1990. Marino, 19, was playing rugby for Keene State College in New Hampshire.
During a breakaway, two opponents hit him so hard his head snaped back and he landed on his neck. In the hospital, he was told a spinal cord injury would prevent him from walking and his life expectancy will shorten.
鈥淚 laid in that hospital bed for a long time,鈥� Marino says, 鈥渁nd had a moment with God where I made a promise: 鈥業f I get up and walk out of here, I鈥檒l change my life and give back to others.鈥� 鈥�
鈥淚 laid in that hospital bed for a long time. … I made a promise: 鈥業f I get up and walk out of here, I鈥檒l change my life and give back to others.鈥� 鈥�
That鈥檚 exactly what he did, walking out the door and leaving plans for an architecture career in the past.
For his first job, he mentored students with extreme behavior challenges. Marino鈥檚 dad, an educator, opened his son鈥檚 eyes to an unfortunate truth: They hired you because no one else wants to work with those kids.
鈥淗e was right,鈥� Marino says. 鈥淭hat experience made me realize how much it means to a kid when someone takes the time to help, without judging. I also knew the field of special education is where I鈥檓 needed most.鈥�
There are too many stories for Marino to recount. Each carries its own weightiness, so he shares a recent one: 鈥淲e heard from a graduate who was named employee of the month at Amazon. When we first met, he was living in a poor area of Orlando, riding a bus two hours to 性视界传媒. But he committed to learning and improving his life. We gave him the same commitment. And now look how he鈥檚 doing.鈥�
The daily inspiration Marino finds in people he helps at 性视界传媒 is part of why he doesn鈥檛 dwell on the near-tragic accident or the limitations it still causes at times. Instead, he focuses on the benefits that continue to grow from it.
鈥淚 walked when doctors said I wouldn鈥檛,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 made it to 30 years old, to 40 and to 50. I鈥檓 still going, still keeping my promise, and I have no intention to stop.鈥�
