Heather’s story is a tale of resilience and empowerment.
Heather had a typical childhood growing up on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Diagnosed with hearing loss at the age of four, she was required to learn, at an early age, unique ways for her to deal with, and adjust to, the world around her. At age fourteen, however, Heather’s world was dealt with another when she was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP). RP is an eye condition that changes how the retina responds to light, making it hard to see. Over time, RP typically leads to full blindness.
Vision loss coupled with a hearing impairment could have easily discouraged Heather but, instead, she continued to learn, adapt, live, and enjoy life. In response, Heather channeled her skill. strength and determination to create a career for herself as a healthcare administrator. Unfortunately, RP is a degenerative disease, and, over time, Heather’s vision continued to worsen. Struggling to keep up with her demanding job and believing that blindness was going to limit her ability to succeed, she made the heartbreaking decision to resign. Her life and career had come to a standstill, and she had no real idea what was next.
For a time, Heather stayed out of the employment market and focused on her family. Then one day, while out with her son, she noticed he, too, was showing signs of vision loss. That’s when fear set in, and she quickly was determined she was going to do everything possible to help her son.
During her research, Heather came across a convention about blindness and decided to attend. The convention turned out to be just the thing she needed to gather information she needed to assist her son. At the same time, she found information to help herself, as well. While there she met, for the first time, people from BISM and learned about our many programs designed to help people adjust to blindness. Specifically, she found out about our programming in Salisbury, Maryland – close to her home and family.
BISM’s training helped her break away from the limited beliefs about blindness and allowed her to prove to herself that her blindness should not hold her back from engaging in a productive and fulfilling life. Heather embraced every aspect of the training, realizing that she could achieve so much more than she had ever imagined.
Upon completing her training, Heather had all the confidence to get back into the workforce. As fate would have it, a new job opening arose in BISM’s ITR Department in Salisbury and Heather jumped on the opportunity. She applied to be an instructor and joined the Salisbury team.
Heather’s journey is one of self-discovery and empowerment. What began as a search to find resources for her son became a transformational journey for herself. Her diligence and resourcefulness have not only opened doors for her son but have also shown him that blindness has no limits to what you can achieve.
Today, Heather’s passion for helping others is apparent and a driving force in her role as an instructor at BISM. With her guidance, many individuals find hope, strength, and the belief that they can redefine their lives despite any challenges they may face.
