Arizona Online Student Inspires Others to Become Superheroes

“I like to drive fast, and that day I was driving way too fast,” Gers said. “When I entered this turn, by the time I realized what was going on, it was too late. I couldn't slow down, and I lost control of my car.”

The vehicle collided with a tree and Gers sustained extensive injuries, including a shattered jaw, a broken back, the loss of one eye, and complete loss of sight in both. He awoke in the hospital in total darkness.

Initially, he struggled to adapt to his new existence. When he told his father this, Gers received the pep talk of a lifetime.

“I don't understand what it means to be blind,” Tray Gers told him. “But I do know that you could be blind and you could be in a wheelchair … Tanner, you should be dead.”

“That was exactly what I needed to hear,” Gers said. “Knowing it could always be worse allowed me to see myself for the first time ... and if I’m going to do something about my life, if I'm going to build something, create something of meaning, I have the tools and the resources, but it's going to be up to me to create it.”

An Unexpected Pastime

A few years after the accident, Gers turned on the TV and heard a sound that would change his life forever. It was Beep Baseball, a sport that uses special equipment so those with visual impairments can locate the ball and bases through sound.

Rediscovering baseball eventually led him to the National Beep Baseball Association World Series and to Paralympic sports, where he doubled down on track and field and made the U.S. Paralympic team bound for London in 2012. His athletic career would showcase the tenacity and drive that has become his trademark in every aspect of life, from his career to his education.

“We’re always doing something,” said Rosa Gers, Tanner’s wife, a grade-school teacher and University of Arizona alumna. “He’s very driven … there have been plenty of hours when I haven’t had access to him because he’s busy doing work, but it’s worth it. I’m very proud of him.”

From Baseball to a Bachelor’s Degree

Gers enrolled at Arizona in 2006, but soon his attention – and living situation – shifted elsewhere. After moving to Phoenix he wanted to return to the University of Arizona, based in Tucson but knew it would be challenging.

“I had to relearn everything in order to live life and function independently as a blind man,” he said. “Then I came back to the University of Arizona … and it just so happened that Arizona started the online program.”

To engage in online classes, Gers required alternative ways to access digital information. Fortunately, the Disability Resource Center is committed to achieving full accessibility for all information technology.

“So when I read a book, I'm actually listening to it,” Gers said. “When I'm communicating with my peers, whether I'm writing on the keyboard or I'm speaking into the computer via video chat or VoiceThread, I'm still able to connect with the content, connect with my student peers and with the instructor.

Making connections is important to Gers, which is why he chose the Communications program over a Business degree – and why he chose to become a motivational speaker.

Helping Others Become Heroes

Gers palms a beep baseball – roughly the size of a grapefruit – and tucks it under the back of his blazer. He’s preparing for a motivational speech about a concept he calls The Phoenix Code, and the ball serves as a prop to help illustrate how anyone can survive loss and become their own superhero. As he says, failure is the cost of doing business, and what really matters is how you handle it.

“You cannot grab hold of today holding onto something else,” Gers said during the speech. “You can’t grab hold of the greatness inside of you clinging to the past. So don’t lose yourself just because you lost something.”

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