Blind, autistic karate student wins big

VILLAGE OF FAYETTEVILLE – Having persevered through obstacle after obstacle in his life, 23-year-old Fayetteville resident Matthew Killian has learned to expect the unexpected and excel no matter the circumstances.
Killian, who is blind and has autism spectrum disorder and epilepsy, participated in his first-ever karate competition late last month at the RIT Inn & Conference Center in Henrietta.
Entering the Rochester-area building, he had to adjust and get used to his surroundings as far as where to sign in and where to go from there.
Prepared to show off his bunkai self-defense techniques, which are used to block and disarm an attacker brandishing a weapon, Killian was surprised to find out from the tournament director upon his arrival that the organizers would be scrapping that activity at the last minute. Nonetheless, the novice-level green belt was undeterred.
“He was able to carry on, which is very important because sometimes for some people, if things aren’t going the way they want them to go, they back off,” said Hanshi Rande Lawrence, the chief instructor at Lawrence World Class Karate, the martial arts training school on East Genesee Street in Fayetteville. “It wasn’t smooth sailing. There was a lot of just learning as you go.”
Lawrence said that despite venturing into uncertain, uncharted territory with his first competition, Killian remained willing to give it his best shot. And with that will, the newcomer found a way to win two special demonstration gold medals on the day, rising above challengers from across western New York in a room full of spectators.
“It was pretty awesome just being there,” Killian said. “It felt great.”
The two awards he attained during the 2023 Niagara Karate Championship on Sunday, April 30 were in the solo, choreographed set pattern of movements called kata and kumite, which involves controlled sparring.
Lawrence said there were many cheering for Killian that day and several people who came up, patted him on the shoulder and congratulated him on his success.
“He had belief in himself that he could achieve things,” Lawrence said. “He came out and he represented himself and he represented us. He represented the Central New York community.”
Killian has been epileptic since the age of three, and at 10 he was diagnosed with autism. When he was 19, he suddenly lost his vision over the course of a few months due to a rare disease called Leber hereditary optic neuropathy.
“Then he said one day out of the blue, ‘I wanna learn karate,’” said his mother, Kimberly.
Not long after, Killian walked in cold to the Fayetteville dojo and asked Lawrence if he taught blind pupils, to which the headmaster responded that he would be glad to even though he had never been tasked with teaching someone with that condition.
“Although I had always been interested in karate, I started learning it when I became blind to help me overcome my feeling of helplessness,” Killian said. “Karate helps me on a physical level, and it boosts my confidence.”
At this point, Killian’s epilepsy is well-managed and mostly under control, his mom explained, but his learning capabilities are different and he can sometimes have difficulty expressing himself through his autism.
“You kinda have to work around that barrier and help him,” she said. “You have to go through the layers, and Hanshi’s wonderful about doing that.”
Through weekly one-on-one lessons that take place in a dimly lit or dark room so as to not irritate Killian’s eyes, Lawrence makes sure to emphasize the importance of always being spatially aware and situationally on guard while taking into account how Killian’s other senses are heightened because of his blindness.
Now a little over a year into his time at the dojo, Killian has improved his balance, worked on getting his kicks higher, and learned how to move back and forth without a cane. Joking that he’s Killian’s punching bag and calling the experience of teaching him “humbling,” Lawrence abides by the maxim that perfect practice makes perfect.
“I’ve just had to practice, practice, practice since day one,” Killian said. “I’ve learned quite a lot from when I first started, and I haven’t given up.”
Set to move on to the intermediate level, Killian hopes to partake in other competitions in the future and eventually earn his black belt.
Lawrence World Class Karate is the only karate school in Central New York that specializes in traditional Japanese Shotokan and Okinawan Goju-ryu karate systems. The dojo brings in people of all ages and a number with mental and physical disabilities.
“Matt is a trailblazer,” Lawrence said. “People who are blind or who have physical challenges, they can take a look at what Matt is doing with his life. He’s taking the bull by the horn and challenging that bull, and whatever he wants to accomplish, we’re gonna help make that happen.”