She Kept Her Job—Thanks to Braille Institute

She Kept Her Job—Thanks to Braille Institute

Since childhood, Nancy R. has experienced numerous vision problems but has always overcome this obstacle. Even after she was diagnosed with macular degeneration, Nancy continued to work, becoming a chief financial officer for a systems engineering firm.

That is, until the day she suddenly lost the central vision in her right eye. This new complication left her legally blind in that eye, and she struggled to read the fine print on the invoices at work. When her doctors told her there was nothing they could do, Nancy was devastated and gave notice at her job. “I felt useless, that my life was over,” she says.

Recalling how much her mother, who also suffered from macular degeneration, enjoyed listening to Braille Institute’s audiobooks, Nancy contacted our Anaheim center for help. Now, like her mother, she is a huge fan of our audiobooks.

While at our Anaheim center, Nancy met with a low vision consultant and learned to her surprise that a video magnifier would allow her to read documents, like invoices. Nancy immediately called her employer. “Can I un-quit?” she asked. “You can start right now,” they said, and Nancy is still employed today.

“Braille Institute made a huge difference by helping me realize I could keep my job, stay independent, and not be a burden to my children,” Nancy says with emotion.

Grateful for her new life, Nancy decided to express her thanks by supporting Braille Institute through a charitable gift annuity.

 “I won’t always be able to earn my living,” she says. “So the annuity payments offer me security that there’s money to live on. And I can help others like me through my support.”