When Calvin Echevarria was diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy and started going blind, he worried about how he would support his wife and young daughter. Echevarria had to give up his job as a FedEx driver and struggled to find options to safely make an income. Everything changed when he came across Lighthouse Works— an organization that creates jobs specifically for the blind. Seven out of ten Americans who are visually impaired aren’t in the workforce, and Lighthouse Works is on a mission to change that. Lighthouse Works has contracts with clients across Florida, and employees help callers with tasks like accessing unemployment benefits, building products, and fixing supply chain issues. Echevarria now has a job at Lighthouse Works’ call center, where he uses a special computer system called JAWS to interact with clients and customers. Thanks to the help of Lighthouse Works, Echevarria has started a whole new career and hasn’t let blindness hold him back from success.
Image via CBS News
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