“I Help You See Better, Even Though I Cannot” | A Legally Blind Optician copertina

“I Help You See Better, Even Though I Cannot” | A Legally Blind Optician

“I Help You See Better, Even Though I Cannot” | A Legally Blind Optician

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 Episode 8 — “I Help You See Better, Even Though I Cannot” | A Legally Blind Optician“I help you see better, even though I cannot.”Adam has Stargardt disease, an inherited retinal disease that affects his central vision.He’s also a licensed optician who owns his own optical shop.In this episode, Austin and Charity are joined by Adam for a conversation about growing up visually impaired, building independence without ever being able to drive, navigating the world with central vision loss — and ultimately choosing a career centered around the very thing he struggles with himself: vision.Adam was born with Stargardt disease and grew up at a time when many of the accommodations available to blind and visually impaired students today simply weren’t there. His parents fought for him to attend school alongside his sighted peers, while Adam dealt with inaccessible materials, photosensitivity, stereotypes and the assumption that because his eyes worked differently, his brain somehow did too.But one of the most interesting parts of Adam’s story came later.At 32, after a frustrating experience getting his own glasses adjusted, Adam decided he could do a better job himself.So he went back to school to become an optician.He completed his education, fought for accommodations during his licensing exams and became what he says is the first legally blind licensed optician in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.Then came another obstacle.Despite being licensed and qualified — and despite clients responding positively to working with a visually impaired optician — Adam says he repeatedly encountered employers who were uncomfortable with his disability.Eventually, he stopped trying to fit into someone else’s workplace.He opened his own.Today, Adam owns Perception Optical in Arlington, Massachusetts, where his experience with vision loss has become one of his greatest tools for understanding the people sitting across from him.Rather than simply asking what prescription someone needs, Adam asks a different question:What do you want your eyes to be able to do?That might mean helping someone read. Use a computer. See at a particular distance. Or, in the case of one client with macular degeneration, finding a way for her to see her playing cards well enough to participate with friends again.You’ll hear about:• What Stargardt disease looks like through Adam’s eyes• Growing up visually impaired before many modern accommodations existed• Being the only disabled student in his school• Never experiencing the independence of driving• The difference between being born with vision loss and losing vision later in life• Photosensitivity, central vision loss and navigating everyday environments• Why asking strangers for help can feel vulnerable• Using an identification cane while traveling• Why Adam chose not to use a guide dog• Going back to school at 32 to become an optician• Fighting for accommodations during professional licensing exams• Becoming a legally blind licensed optician• Experiencing disability bias in the workplace• Why Adam ultimately opened his own optical shop• How having vision loss changes the way he works with visually impaired clients• The young client who traveled from New York to see him — and later wrote that she could see better than she ever had before• Why properly fitting glasses is about much more than a prescription• Taking his first solo international trip as a visually impaired traveler• Accessibility at airports in the United States and Europe• Using a phone camera to zoom in on signs, train schedules and other information• Learning when to ask for help — and leaving the shame behind• Why disability can change the path without eliminating the destinationAdam also talks about something many people with disabilities experience in the workplace: the difference between making a mistake and having that mistake attributed to your disability.For Adam, those experiences eventually became motivation.He says he opened his business partly out of “spite and survival.”But the spite wasn’t about getting even.“The spite was to be better.”Today, that means slowing down, listening to his clients and understanding that for someone with limited remaining vision, making the most of that vision can have an enormous impact on everyday life.And when asked what he would tell someone with Stargardt disease — or anyone questioning whether they should pursue school, a career, a business or something else that feels difficult because of disability — his answer is simple:Try.You don’t know whether something is possible until you give yourself the opportunity to find out.Vision loss may change how you get there.It doesn’t mean you stop going.🎙️ CENTRAL VISION PODCASTWebsite:https://centralvisionpodcast.comYouTube:https://youtube.com/@centralvisionpodcastInstagram:https://instagram.com/centralvisionpodcastFacebook:https://facebook.com/...
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