Careers for the Blind

Matthew Sherwood, who lost his vision shortly after beginning his professional career due to Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON) and Best disease. Rather than allowing vision loss to define his future, Matthew built an impressive career in finance and investment management. Today, Matthew serves as the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Pothos Partners. Throughout h...

In this episode of  Careers for the Blind , we speak with Domonique Lawless, who has been blind since birth and has spent her life advocating for the opportunities and training she needed to succeed. From a young age, Domonique learned the importance of self-advocacy, ensuring she received the education and support necessary to pursue her goals. Initially aspiring to become a teacher, Domonique ea...

Jeff Noga built a long and successful career at ExxonMobil, including several years in a supervisory role, before his life took an unexpected turn. Midway through his career, he was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa—a progressive vision condition that would challenge both his professional and personal life. With a wife and two young children at home, Jeff was determined to keep moving forward an...

In this episode of Careers for the Blind, I sit down with James Ashworth to discuss his journey through vision loss while building a successful career in the airline industry. Diagnosed with cone-rod dystrophy after already establishing himself professionally, James shares how he first began noticing changes in his vision and the challenges that followed. James talks about the tremendous support h...

Rick Blair’s journey at Schneider Electric is a powerful story of resilience, adaptation, and self-advocacy. Over the course of several decades with the company, Rick experienced gradual vision loss, eventually becoming fully blind later in his career. While he benefited from supportive supervisors along the way, Rick also had to consistently advocate for the accommodations he needed to succeed in...

Jenna Tiberi’s journey to becoming a social worker is a powerful story of perseverance and self-advocacy. Along the way, she heard many “no’s” before finally receiving a “yes,” especially after choosing to be upfront about her vision loss early in the interview process. Refusing to let barriers define her path, Jenna continues to take on the world alongside her guide dog, demonstrating resilience,...

Today’s episode features Eileen Rivera Ley, a powerhouse at the intersection of business, innovation, and blindness advocacy. Eileen brings an impressive academic background, having earned a degree in economics from Harvard and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Her career includes work at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins, but her entrepreneurial spirit ulti...

Brett Boyer has been blind his entire life, and his career journey is a testament to persistence and self-discovery. Along the way, he’s worked in a wide variety of roles, always pushing to find work that truly aligned with his interests and values. After exploring many different paths, Brett ultimately found a place where his passion and purpose came together at the Colorado Center for the Blind....

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Jean Parker—a professor, former radio journalist, and nonprofit leader whose career journey has been shaped by curiosity, service, and a global perspective. She attended the Perkins School for the Blind in her youth, Dr. Parker was inspired early on by the people who traveled there from around the world, sparking a lifelong interest in international travel and...

Marisol Carmona , a Program Specialist at Perkins School for the Blind whose lived experience and professional journey make her an incredibly insightful voice in the blindness community. Marisol became visually impaired as a result of  Leber’s congenital amaurosis , and her personal path has shaped how she supports others today. Throughout her career, Marisol has held several roles serving people...

Rebecca Rosenberg was born with albinism, which causes low vision. During her college years, she grew frustrated by the lack of effective assistive technology for people with visual impairments. Instead of waiting for someone else to solve the problem, she decided to take action. That drive led her to create  ReBokeh , an assistive technology company dedicated to enabling true visual experience in...

David Mayne lost his sight as the result of an automobile accident in his 40s. The years that followed were filled with recovery—physically, emotionally, and financially—as he navigated life on disability while raising four children as a single father. But David’s drive to provide for his family and rebuild his independence pushed him forward. He enrolled in a cybersecurity program at a junior col...

In this episode, we sit down with  Tanner Gers , CEO and cofounder of  AccessAbility Officer , a company that’s redefining inclusion in the digital age. As a blind entrepreneur, Tanner is leading a mission-driven organization with two powerful goals: training people with disabilities to become skilled in the field of digital accessibility and employing them to serve government organizations in nee...

Today’s guest is Dr. JR Rizzo, a physician-scientist at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. His journey is nothing short of remarkable—marked by resilience, determination, and an unwavering drive to make an impact. Despite facing the challenges of a rare vision-loss condition called Choroideremia, Dr. Rizzo has forged a path of perseverance, transforming obstacles into opportunities. In this epis...

Curtis Jackson is a multifaceted professional with a story worth hearing. After many years working in IT, he transitioned into cybersecurity through the Apex Training Program, sponsored by Novacoast. Beyond his role as a cybersecurity analyst, Curtis runs a successful vending machine business through the Randolph-Sheppard program and channels his creativity as a hip-hop artist. His journey is one...

The  Apex Program  is a specialized training initiative designed to equip blind and low vision individuals with the skills to pursue careers as cybersecurity analysts. Cybersecurity analysts enjoy above-average earning potential, strong job security, and abundant opportunities nationwide—many of which offer the flexibility of remote work. www.theapexprogram.com

In this inspiring episode, we sit down with Chanthen Nene, a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University with degrees in Business and Film. Despite living with Nystagmus, a visual impairment, Chanthen remains deeply committed to his passion for filmmaking. He shares his journey through higher education, creative expression, and advocacy, including his current role as Chair of the Virginia State R...

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.