Ron Brown has made something of his life when no one thought he could.

Brown was born deaf -- he's never heard Mozart, never heard a baby's cry, or someone laugh.

In those first years of his life, before he did something so unthinkable, something that would 'change' his life, he needed supervision 24 hours a day.

Brown bounced from one foster home to another.

"He was capable of destroying environments," said Alison McCormick, assistant director of Mainstay. "He could bang his fists, bang his head, throw furniture."

No one wanted him, this angry boy. Especially not after what he did.

In a fit of rage, Ron poked and mutilated his eyes, rendering him blind. His world was now silent and dark.

And one other thing about Ron: He can't talk.

When I met him, I realized Ron reaches people through his hands -- through touch.

It's how Tiffany talks to him.

"I'm responding by saying 'Yes, we're doing spray. Yes, we're going to do the spray,' " she said as she rubbed his hands.

Ron works at Safeway. He's the guy who makes sure everything is spotless.

He's good at his job, and Tiffany says Ron knows his duties.

Ron's worked there for 10 years. He's never late. He never takes vacations, and he calls in sick only once or twice a year.

He has this job thanks to a Seattle support service called Mainstay that believed in him, when no one else did.

And even though early on, it looked like a failed experiment.

Tiffany says one day, Ron "became so frustrated with (a co-worker) that he head banged her -- head butted her. Broke her nose actually."

But Safeway never gave up on him. And so today he's a different man. The anger is gone, and he has a life, and people around him who love him.

Ron wakes up every morning 6:15 sharp and always knows what his day will look like. If his caregiver puts a water bottle out, Ron knows he'll be working out. The stethoscope means he'll be seeing his doctor later.

If he finds his ID, it means it's a work day.

And even though he may not know it, this man who sees nothing and hears nothing, and has never spoken a word, has touched many lives.

"With Ron, I'm just going to get choked up again, it's just incredible to watch," Tiffany said.

When Ron started working, he could work only about 15 minutes a day. Now he's up to 4 hours a day.

Tammy Kilgore owns the health club where Ron works out.

"I appreciate his achievement and what he's done because it is incredible. It is absolutely incredible," she said.

Recently, Safeway threw a 10-year anniversary party for Ron, who sat there silently eating chips and salsa as his friends weeped like babies.

"I enjoy every day with Ron Brown because every day he surprises me, and he's so cool to work with. And I am very proud of him," Tiffany said.

Tammy added: "Ron is a huge ,huge inspiration to me and to all my members. None of us like working out, and for Ron to do it with the handicaps that he has it's just incredible to watch."

Safeway gave Ron a pin marking his 10 years with the company. His friends gave him something else: The gift of love, and the guarantee, they'll always be there for him, making sure Ron can continue living his life.

Now, his world doesn't seem so dark anymore.