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June 17, 2021

Meet Timur Tilman, Press Machine Operator at Clovernook Center for the Blind & Visually Impaired. Timur has worked here at Clovernook Center for 15 years. In his role as Press Machine Operator, Timur creates braille translations of different publications such as Rolling Stone Magazine and the Bible, and also works on projects like producing braille menus for McDonald’s.

There are two special memories Timur mentions as his most memorable times with Clovernook Center. The first was a surprise party that was thrown in 2009 for him by his colleagues and friends in celebration of Timur earning his US citizenship. The second-best memory for Timur was in the same year when he was recognized as Employee of Year.

Last year, Clovernook Center was honored to collaborate with The New York Times on a series of articles surrounding the 30th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Timur’s job as the Press Machine Operator in the Braille Printing House was integral in this project. Even with the tight deadlines, Timur was excited to be able to work on the project and made it a top priority to ensure everything was completed on time. Producing the braille menus for McDonald’s is another favorite project for Timur because the menus are a different size from other jobs, he has to use Clovernook Center’s Heidelberg printer and it requires more precision.

Timur has been partially blind and deaf since birth, a disorder that he also shares with his sister, but the use of technology, including both computers and phones, makes living easier. Thanks to these advances in technology, Timur and his sister are able to research different areas of concern about their condition and it allows them to better communicate with their family. Timur’s mother lives in New York, he has brothers in New Jersey, and his sister lives in Uzbekistan, so having technology is key to keeping in touch with them. In addition to his beautiful wife Lora, he has a very smart son, Arthur, and sweet Jack Russell Terrier named Mila.

Outside of work, Timur enjoys swimming, renovating his home, and playing a variety of games and sports including, poker, cornhole and chess. While Timur loves cooking ribeye steaks on the grill, he also really enjoys the scrumptious cakes and salads made by his wife.

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