Fifty years ago, David Hartman became the first blind person to graduate from an American medical school, earning his degree from Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia. Hartman, now 76, endured repeated rejection from other medical schools before Temple accepted him, and he went on to build a decades-long career as a psychiatrist after losing his eyesight at age 8.
In a new interview with CBS News Philadelphia, Hartman said he remains grateful to Temple, adding that the school's acceptance changed his life forever. He met his wife, Cheri, at Temple during those years, and she told the outlet that Philadelphia was the city that allowed his breakthrough to happen.
Beating the Odds to Reach Temple
Before Temple accepted him in 1972, Hartman had been turned down by nine other medical schools, according to the National Federation of the Blind, which notes that admissions boards at the time routinely assumed sight was mandatory for clinical practice. By then Hartman had already proven he could handle rigorous science coursework, graduating summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa in biology from Gettysburg College, where he became the first blind student to earn a degree, according to Gettysburg College.
Hartman lost his vision to glaucoma at age 8, a childhood diagnosis he later chronicled in his 1978 autobiography, White Coat, White Cane: The Extraordinary Odyssey of a Blind Physician, co-written with Bernard Asbell, per the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled. Because of his blindness, he has written his books using dictation, the same CBS Philadelphia account notes. His journey through medical school drew enough national attention that NBC broadcast a television film about it, Journey from Darkness, during his third year at Temple in 1975, starring Marc Singer as Hartman, according to Encyclopedia.com.
A Career Built on Listening in Philadelphia
After graduating in 1976, Hartman completed a residency in psychiatry and physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Pennsylvania's Veterans Administration Hospital, according to The Washington Post. During that training, he adapted physical examination protocols, relying on touch and collaborative support for visual checks, the paper reported at the time.
He said blindness forced him to rely on his ears, adding that listening is an essential asset for psychiatry, the same CBS Philadelphia interview notes. Over the decades, he has helped thousands of people and their families as a psychiatrist, per the report. Hartman later served as an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral medicine at Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, where he co-led community addiction medicine initiatives through Carilion Clinic that helped expand regional Office-Based Addiction Treatment programs in the Roanoke Valley, according to the school.
A Legacy That Still Shapes Medical Admissions
Hartman's breakthrough did not immediately dissolve institutional resistance to blind medical applicants, but it did reshape at least one life. In 1998, Tim Cordes became the second blind student admitted to an American medical school when he entered the University of Wisconsin Medical School, citing Hartman's 1978 autobiography as his primary inspiration, according to Notre Dame News. Cordes went on to earn both an M.D. and a Ph.D. in biochemistry.
Two decades after Hartman's graduation, blindness remained a barrier for other applicants. In a 1997 case documented by the National Federation of the Blind, the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine admissions committee acknowledged Hartman's 1976 graduation but still voted unanimously to deny admission to another blind applicant, citing physical technical standards regarding unassisted vision.
National data underscore how rare Hartman's path remains. A 2019 study by the Association of American Medical Colleges found that about 2.7% of U.S. medical students reported having a disability, and roughly 92% of those had non-apparent conditions such as ADHD or learning disabilities rather than visual or physical impairments. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in 2024 that roughly 7 million people in the United States live with vision impairment, including about 1 million who are completely blind.
