March Madness – Having A Vision for Victory

In our newsletter this month, you will have the opportunity to meet two incredible individuals who have persevered through illness, personal challenges and vision loss. As I reflected on my past interactions with Brad and Valerie, it made me think of the unexpected heroes of the upcoming NCAA March Madness basketball tournament. The “Cinderella stories” of the tournament remind us of the power of hope and perseverance over adversity.

The NCAA tournament is an opportunity to see the up-and-coming stars of women’s and men’s college basketball. The perennial powerhouses – Stanford and Connecticut in the women’s bracket and Gonzaga and Kansas in the men’s bracket – get a lot of attention. Yet the most thrilling part of these tournaments for me are when a smaller, lesser-known team uses their collective skill and tenacity to take down a top-ranked team.

Suddenly everyone is looking at this team and wondering how they possibly could have done it. Lacking size and star power, where did all that talent, drive and capacity come from anyway? 

Not unlike these lesser-known teams, people who are blind or have low vision are often over-looked as having the talent, drive and capacity to accomplish great things – at work and in the community. Rather than noticing the individual’s skills in finance, sales or management, employers and hiring personnel only notice the lack of eyesight. They don’t see the talent right in front of them.

Society for the Blind is committed to changing this perspective so more people who are blind or have low vision are recognized for the skills and expertise they bring to the table. Our tag line, More than what you see, embodies this commitment. In this issue, we are highlighting two “stars” of Society. Brad and Valerie are giving back to the community, using their talent and experience to help others with vision loss. Now that is a truly winning combination!