Personal Stories Archives

Ode to a Master: Reflections on My TVI

Posted on April 26, 2023 - 1:03 am by Alexis Read

Teacher talks to young student in a red sweater who is touching a balloon-powered model car

Editor’s note: Teacher Appreciation Week is May 8-12, 2023. In recognition, Alexis Read shares about her beloved teacher of students with visual impairments (TVI). When my family moved to North Dakota in the summer of 1982, I met an educator who profoundly impacted my life and career choices. Phyllis, a young and energetic teacher of […]

Teaching Environments for a Vision Rehabilitation Therapist (VRT) Who is Blind/ Low Vision

Posted on April 4, 2023 - 12:20 am by Alexis Read

Table with six stations for a group lesson, each with a raised cookie sheet, butter knife, and a filled paper cup. Celery and peanut butter are at the center of the table.

Editor’s note: Vision Rehabilitation Therapist Appreciation Week is observed annually over Anne Sullivan’s birthday, April 14th. Are you interested in learning more about vision rehabilitation therapy (VRT) as a possible career? Visit Get Learning – AER (aerbvi.org) to read about the roles and responsibilities and Directory of University Professional Programs in the U.S. and Canada […]

Second Acts: From Programmer to Braille Transcriptionist

Posted on December 16, 2022 - 10:20 am by Amy Lynn Smith

Individual in business casual standing in a kitchen

Steve Dresser had a solid career working for 30 years as a computer programmer for the state of Connecticut. But after he retired from the position in 2002, he started his own business: Jennco Productions, which is dedicated to producing high-quality braille materials from electronic documents. Blind since birth due to retinopathy of prematurity, Steve […]

Joe Strechay Helps Actors and Production Teams Accurately Portray Blindness

Posted on November 18, 2022 - 12:59 pm by Amy Lynn Smith

Individual smiles in front of an old marble building

Joe Strechay has the kind of career many people dream about: working in the entertainment business. His job? Making sure that blindness is represented accurately, especially by actors who are sighted. Born with retinitis pigmentosa, Joe later developed cataracts and has been legally blind since he was 19. He’s always been interested in media and […]

Cassandra McNabb-McKinney: Working as an Embalmer

Posted on October 21, 2022 - 12:00 am by Amy Lynn Smith

A white woman with green eyes and brown hair that falls just past her shoulders, wearing a red top with a floral pattern.

Being an embalmer and funeral director isn’t on the list of many people’s career choices. In fact, it’s often a trade handed down through generations of a family. But for Cassandra McNabb-McKinney, it’s work she felt called to do, both by her own experience and her faith. When she was 16 years old, there was […]

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