Bellevue resident Clark Roberts has always loved to ski. Outdoor activities such as tandem biking, wakeboarding and snow sports were always a passion of his.

When he started going blind, that didn’t change.

“You have to come to the point when you can embrace your situation,” said Roberts, who was diagnosed with Retinitis pigmentosa, an eye disease that has caused him to lose almost all of his vision. “You realize that you can still do the things you want to do, just in a different way.”

Learning how to ski, literally in the dark, is one thing (Roberts did it in five private lessons with an instructor). More basic things to re-learn included how to survey a room, judging the size of a space by the mass of air he could feel on his skin, or learning to use a computer with a device that reads words on the screen.

“One of the best things I ever did for myself was learn how to type in high school,” Roberts said.

Learning to get around with ease became simple when Roberts switched from using a cane and gained a companion who could be his new set of eyes – a guide dog.

“It’s absolute freedom,” said Roberts, who has yellow labrador Arby to help him navigate curbs, crossing the street and other day-to-day activities; Arby even knows how to obediently disobey, in case his master gives him a command to do something that’s not safe.

“The real difference between a cane and a dog is a brain,” Roberts said.

Plus, it’s a special relationship owners form with their guide dogs.

Arby licks visitors’ hands and nudges them for scratches as they walk through Roberts’ front door. As Roberts puts it, the dog is a real ham for attention who loves to work, as well as play.

“If he could talk, he’d tell you he’s a big ole’ lap dog.”

Holding Arby by a leather leash, in slacks and button-down shirt, Roberts reveals a personable, confident presence, joking that he and his wife met on a “blind date” more than a decade ago. There’s not much that’s said in his Eastgate home that’s politically-correct, he says laughing.

It’s this confidence he hopes to also instill in others.

Since the early ’90s, Roberts has worked as a motivational speaker for schools, corporations and private events, and recently started a business called Pawpular Paws, which sells custom-made ceramic pet items.

In fact, he’ll be speaking at Crossroads Bellevue Mall (15600 NE Eighth St.) at the main entrance today from 3:30-6:30 p.m. in honor of September being National Guide Dog Month. He’ll be available to answer questions and sell Pawpular Paws merchandise such as ceramic dog bones, treat bowls and leash holders.

But while he may be a CEO of his own business and a motivational speaker, being blind doesn’t come without immense challenges.

Sometimes, Roberts said, he is so taken with emotion that he can’t see things, such as the blueness of the water and the paradise surrounding him on a family vacation to Hawaii, for example.

In addition to his own resilience, he gets through those moments because of his faith in God, plus support and inspiration from his family.

“There’s this huge misconception that blind people can’t contribute anything to society, that they can’t hold a job, that life just stops,” Roberts said. “It’s just not true. There’s so much more out there for us.”

Gabrielle Nomura can be reached at 425-453-4602.