My Life: Finding Hope at Braille Institute
How I Learned that My Vision Loss Didn’t Mean the End of My Independence
I remember the day I was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa. It was nine years ago, and I thought that my life was over. This was it; I was going blind, and I was just 34 years old.
You might think that vision loss is something that a person can’t miss. But truthfully, it started when I noticed little changes, like bumping into things at work that I didn’t see. I began having more and more trouble driving at night and trouble navigating daily tasks. I was in denial — until one day when I actually found myself driving off the road. I knew then that I was in trouble.
Although my central vision remained, I had to give up things that made me feel independent, such as driving. Without full sight, I felt isolated. I wasn’t aware of any low-vision resources in Florida, and if there were any, they were driving-distance away — how was I supposed to get there?
