I WILL SURVIVE

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EVEN BEFORE I KNEW I HAD DISABILITIES, I HAVE ALWAYS FOCUSED ON MY ABILITIES AND THAT WILL NEVER CHANGE. JUST OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL I JOINED THE NATIONAL GUARD. AFTER FIFTEEN YEARS, AND ATTAINING THE RANK OF MASTER SERGEANT (E-8) AS THE SENIOR INSTRUCTOR AT THE FLORIDA NATIONAL GUARD MILITARY ACADEMY, I HAD MY FIRST NEED TO TRANSITION BECAUSE OF MY VISION LOSS. I COULD NO LONGER SEE IN THE DARK DURING NIGHT MANEUVERS AND BEGAN TO RUN INTO TREES. Even AFTER GOING TO THE DOCTORS AT NAS, THEY SAID THEY SAW NO REASON FOR MY COMPLAINT. WHILE IN THE GUARD, I COMPLETED A THREE YEAR APPRENTICESHIP AND PASSED MY BOARD EXAMS TO BECOME A LICENSE OPTICIAN. AFTER TWELVE YEARS, I COULD NO LONGER DO THE REFRACTIONS IN THE DARK EXAM ROOMS. AGAIN, I REINVENTED MYSELF AND BECAME THE CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER FOR A CHEMICAL DISTRIBUTION WAREHOUSE. THIS POSITION IS WHERE I FOUND MY LOVE FOR OPERATIONS, HR, AP/AR MANAGEMENT. OUR TEAM BUILT UP TO A MULTIMILLION DOLLAR COMPANY IN THREE SHORT YEARS AND THE OWNER DECIDED TO SELL AND RETIRE. IN THE SALES CONTRACT, I WOULD STAY UNTIL THE NEW OWNERS BECAME FAMILIAR WITH THE OPERATIONS. AFTER THEY TOOK OVER OPERATIONS, I COULD NOT FIND A SIMILAR JOB BECAUSE I DID NOT HAVE A BACHELOR’S. THE ORIGINAL OWNER PURCHASED ANOTHER BUSINESS FOR ME TO RUN. HE WANTED TO BE AN ABSENTEE OWNER. I DID THIS FOR TWO YEARS BEFORE ONE OF OUR CLIENTS ASKED ME TO COME TO WORK FOR HER, AS THE GENERAL MANAGER OF THE FIVE COMPANIES SHE OWNED. I WAS BACK TO DOING WHAT I LOVED. SHE OWNED A MORTGAGE, CONSTRUCTION, LAND DEVELOPMENT AND TWO REAL-ESTATE INVESTMENT COMPANIES. WELL, WE ALL KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT INDUSTRY. I WENT TO WORK AS PART TIME DRIVER AT APRIA HEALTHCARE. AFTER SIX MONTHS AGAIN, I COULDN’T SEE TO DELIVER AT NIGHT. WHEN I TOLD THEM I WAS GOING TO HAVE TO LEAVE THE COMPANY THEY LET ME APPLY FOR A SALES REPRESENTATIVE POSITION EVEN THOUGH I DIDN’T HAVE THE REQUIRED BACHELOR’S. I GOT THE JOB AND AFTER PROVING MYSELF TWO YEARS LATER, I WAS RECRUITED BY NURSE ON CALL AS A HOME HEALTH COORDINATOR. I FELT GUILTY FOR GOING BUT THEY PAID ME DOUBLE WHAT I WAS MAKING BEFORE. AFTER TWO YEARS, MY VISION SUDDENLY GOT MUCH WORSE. IN JUST A FEW SHORT MONTHS I BECAME LEGALLY BLIND.

 

“THE BEST WAY TO CHEW A YARD OF BUBBLE GUM IS ONE INCH AT A TIME.” SOMETIMES A TASK CAN SEEM MONUMENTAL WHEN YOU TRY TO VISUALIZE THE ENTIRE THING, BUT IF YOU BREAK IT DOWN INTO SMALLER GOALS SUDDENLY IT CAN BECOME MANAGEABLE. AFTER COMPLETING THE VOCATIONAL ASSESSMENT ORDERED BY DBS, THEY RECOMMENDED I RETURN TO COLLEGE FOR A BACHELOR’S DEGREE. AT FIRST I WAS RELUCTANT BECAUSE I HAVE TO PROVIDE FOR MY FAMILY AND MY DAUGHTER, WHO IS A STUDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA. AFTER APPLYING FOR SEVERAL JOBS AND BEING REFUSED AN INTERVIEW BECAUSE I DO NOT HAVE THE DEGREE, I KNOW THEY ARE RIGHT.

My commitment to my education is strong and I know that, when admitted, I will be able to earn a solid grade point average, and graduate with the degree, skills, and experience I will need to continue my career in HR Management and Logistics. I feel that with the Economic Development Counsels reports, this industry is about to boom in my area. Because of this growth in this industry, it will also allow me to educate the abilities of the low vision/blind community at the executive level. It is going to take a lot of work to educate them on new innovative technology that will allow us to perform most tasks better than some sighted individuals. “Don’t dis my ability” is the moto I have adopted as my charge. Even though my commitment to my education takes time away from my family, I know that I must do this to provide for my family’s future. It will also give me the platform to advocate for the visually impaired. My vision has never been clearer.  “The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.” (Helen Keller)