Kaden Jamid, a 2023 graduate of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, keeps a role model in mind – the Marvel Comics character Daredevil.

Daredevil, the 1964 creation of the legendary Stan Lee, is a lawyer by day and crimefighter by night and the genre’s first blind superhero.

Staff and classmates at his school, Miami Arts Studio 6-12@Zelda Glazer, consider Jamid to be a hero as well.

Blind since age 3, Jamid fine-tuned his ear for music, performing Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” in his audition to win admission to the Arts Studio program as a sixth grader.

According to the district, no teacher at the time had training in the skill of reading braille music. Both teachers and students worked to obtain a method book and then guided Jamid in mastering the skill.

He plays both piano and trumpet, participating in band and jazz band. In January, as a senior, he participated in the University of Miami’s Honor Band.

In a YouTube video produced by classmates, “Sights Through Symphony,” Jamid’s musical skills are showcased as narrator Julian Sandoval describes Jamid’s journey, interviewing both Kaden and his father, Yamil Jamid.  

According to his father, Kaden had vision until a devastating diagnosis – bilateral retinoblastoma, cancer of both eyes. The radiation treatment took a heavy toll on his vision, but Kaden and his family adjusted.

“Music is his life,” Yamil said. “I mean, without music, I don’t know what path he would have taken in life. It has kept him focused and happy.”

In the video, Kaden described music as being both a challenge and a joy. “I like that I use my fingers a lot. It really suits me since I like to use my sense of touch to play the piano,” he said.

“Plus, it’s a challenge for me to memorize the music. Most people have to actually read [the notes] on paper. Not that many people can memorize something that’s 190 measures, like I do.”

Like his superhero, Jamid plans to pursue a law degree beyond college. In the fall, he will attend the University of Miami and aims to join the marching band.