There is a dedicated community of blind and low-vision professionals at NASA, including Denna Lambert, who currently serves as the Lead for Private-Public Partnerships."
Kathryn has been dealing with vision loss since birth. She lost all of her sight at the age of 22, but that didn’t stop her from having a successful career at Deloitte, attending Harvard Business School, and currently holding a Principal position at KKR.
Randi lost his sight many years ago. While on long-term disability, he wanted to continue having a meaningful impact on the organization he was passionate about. To accomplish this, he started a nonprofit with the goal of donating $1 million to those organizations. That experience and demonstration of leadership ultimately led to his current position as CEO of Future In Sight."
www.seable.co.uk Seable is a tour guide company focused on serving, and hiring from the blind and visually impaired community. Their tours focus on things that you can touch, taste, smell, or hear. Also, their tour guides are trained on how to work with blind and visually impaired people, which helps ensure an enjoyable experience .
Breandan is gradually losing his sight. He initially began his career in Investment Banking with Goldman Sachs, and continued in banking with Morgan Stanley. Once he realized he wanted to pursue a career that would be less visually intensive, he sought out additional education at NYU, and ultimately became a leadership coach.
John Dubay is a sighted person, but 100% of his employees are blind or low vision. His company, Leads at Scale, didn't start out that way, but he found blind and low vision hires brought a more consistent and high quality skill set. Check them out at www.leadsatscale.com
Nathaniel always had a passion for large infrastructure and a desire to become a Civil Engineer. Despite being blind, his hard work and dedication to pursuing his passion, has resulted in him to become a Supervisory Civil Engineer, with the U.S. Army Core of Engineers.
Janet along with her husband started Kelly Benefits many years ago. Their son John joined the company after college and today serves as the Chief Innovation and Strategy Officer. Many members of their family have a retinal degenerative condition called Best disease, but low vision hasn't deterred any of them from pursuing their passions.
David is losing his sight to Best disease, an early onset type of Macular Degeneration. Soon after his diagnosis he decided that vision loss wouldn't define him. He was recruited to play Division 1 Lacrosse at Rutgers University. After completing his degree he joined Kelly Benefits and is still there today as an Account Executive.
Michael is loosing his sight to Retinitis Pigmentosa. He was diagnosed in his teenage years, but it wasn't until after completing college, a MBA, and well into his career in the Aviation Industry that he became more open about his vision loss. Even after being more open about his vision loss, he continue to succeed in his career, and today is the Chief Strategy Officer at Abra Group, a holding company for two international airlines. Make sure to reach out to Michael on Linkedin.
These are two inspiring visually impaired women at Ablr. Shannon is an instructor, and explains the ins and outs of how the program works. Parrice is now in her intern phase of the program. She has excelled during her time with Ablr, obtaining several certifications in digital accessibility. To learn more about the program reach out to Shannon, shannon.garner@ablr360.com. To connect with Parrice, email her at parriceleach@gmail.com.
John Samuel is losing his sight to Retinitis Pigmentosa. He only started being open about his vision loss when he attended The George Washington University School of Business. Once he began being open about his vision loss in his professional life as well, he found and help create Ablr, a Disability inclusion and digital accessibility company.
Karla lost her sight early in life. From a young age she had an interest in becoming a Lawyer and ultimately graduated from Georgetown University Law School. She's worked at several different law firms throughout her career, and today is a lawyer at Public Justice.
Randi lost most of her sight at birth and experienced further vision loss later in life. She began her career in Vision Rehabilitation, but ultimately found a passion in Digital Accessibility. She has also completed 15 Triathlons.
Lex is the best totally blind long and triple jumper in the history of the U.S. Paralympic movement. He is the current world record holder in the long jump, a five-time Paralympic medalist, a four-time long jump world champion, and an 18-time national champion.
The Alexandria Virginia Chapter of the NFB will be fundraising for a Latin Night. September 16th 3pm to September 20th a 3pm. https://s.dgpopup.com/rm82g49f Latin Night will be October 29th 7 - 10pm - The Westin Tysons Corner, Falls Church, Virginia Evelyn can be reached at: evelyn.valdez212@gmail.com
Jeff spent most of his career in Financial Services and has moved on to make more significant impact in the world as the Chief Accessibility Officer at Disability:IN. Listen to episode 21 to hear Jeff's experience with Retinitis Pigmentosa, and his successful career path.
Careers for the Blind podcast trailer
Matthew lost his sight due to complications resulting from his premature birth. Early in life he discovered he had a strong aptitude for music. While he is currently attending The Juilliard School, his incredible talent has already taken him around the world to perform. Check out his album Connections, and his website www.matthewwhitaker.net
This is a follow-up conversation with Dr. Kirk Adams who has launched his consulting business Innovative Impact LLC. He is looking to consult for fun, innovative, impactful, and well-funded organizations who desire to be inclusive of people with disabilities and particularly people who are blind. He can be reached at kirkadams000@gmail.com, or by phone or text 206-660-1363.
Jenice lost her sight gradually to Leber Congenital Amaurosis. Her supportive parents enabled her to be successful in school, and ultimately to becoming an Occupational Therapist. She is currently the Chief Operating Officer for Lighthouse Louisiana, an Adjunct Professor, and has a YouTube channel called Insight4Blind.
Bob is a low vision person who lost his sight late in life. His strong work ethic and positive attitude lead him to working for Guide Dogs for the Blind, and ultimately to his current position as CEO at the Earle Baum Center, a training center for the blind and low vision.
Sarahelizabeth lost her side gradually into her early working life. She knew from a young age that she wanted to be a teacher and she didn't let her vision loss deter her from pursuing her passion. She has her Ph.D., and is a Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist, as well as a Certified Assistive Technology Instructional Specialist.
Eli lost his sight at a very early age. He maintains a positive attitude and open mind to trying new things. He has been an automobile mechanic, and is currently working as aCertified Assistive Technology Specialist at Adaptive Technology Services.
Hoby was born blind, but had incredible parents that helped him stay positive and motivated. He has his Ph. D. In Organic Chemistry from UC Davis, and is now an entrepreneur having started several companies. He helped develop Tasting in the Dark, and consults with companies on improving their sensory experiences. Learn more about his companies at Hoby.com
Stephen Podley lost his sight gradually due to Retinitis Pigmentosa. He struggled with his diagnosis briefly, but went on to hold many different positions. Today he is the Superintendent at Miami International Airport.
Sylvia lost her sight gradually due to Retinitis Pigmentosa. She built a reputation that lead to her becoming the CEO for Lighthouse for the Blind in Florida for 11 years, and currently serving as the Chief Programs Officer at AFB.
Michael lost his sight gradually due to retinitis pigmentosa in his mid-30s. He struggled with depression as he was no longer able to be a professional illustrator, but through his faith in God and maintaining a positive attitude he has been able to move forward. He is currently a Computer Access Trainer at the VA Healthcare Services in New Jersey.
Barry lost his sight gradually due to Leber Congenital Amaurosis. He had to advocate for himself from a young age as those around him were not sure how he would accomplish his work. His strong determination let him to graduate from Columbia university with a degree in Applied Mathematics. He has worked at IBM, MorganStanley, and today is the President of Honig International and President and CEO of TruckPay.
Carrie lost her sight gradually due to retinitis pigmentosa. It wasn't until her 20s that her vision started to impact her life more significantly. She tried to hide her vision loss from her colleagues at first, but once she embraced her situation she found a passion for accessibility and made herself an opportunity to become the Accessibility Lead at Walmart.com.
