Grant and Serena's story
Grant is in his 30s and is legally blind. As a young boy, Grant felt different and helpless due to his eye condition. In primary school, he would take binoculars into the classroom, just so he could read the chalkboard. He would never go places he didn’t know alone. By keeping his world small, Grant somehow made his way through primary and high school.
Grant knew he needed help. ‘Going into that unfamiliar environment, I was recommended the orientation and mobility services from Vision Australia. That really helped me to navigate.’
Will you please give a gift today, so we can give the independence Grant longed for so long to more people who are blind or have low vision? Hand in hand with your support, we can extend ours to more people like Grant.
Throughout his university degree, Vision Australia was by his side. Grant was able to find his independence and graduated with hopes of customer service and IT career. But, when looking for work, Grant faced new challenges.
Despite having the skills needed, and the drive to work hard, gaining full-time employment was a real struggle for him. Grant says, ‘That was pretty hard because it took a long time, considering how long I was applying for different positions and knowing that I had the skills from my educational background. Then Vision Australia helped me receive a lot more skills and experience.
Grant knows the fear and insecurity of being a child with low vision—now his little girl Serena felt it, too. Shortly after her birth, tests confirmed Grant’s greatest fear, that Serena had inherited the gene that causes his low vision. While her eye condition is not the same as her dad’s, it’s equally serious and she will need specialised support, too.
Grant is determined to give his young daughter Serena all of the support and opportunities available to help her cope with her own loss of vision. Hand in hand with Vision Australia’s support, Grant knows obstacles can be overcome.
Grant knows from his own experience that Serena’s vision will ‘become more of a challenge as she gets older, especially going through school.’ But, unlike Grant, even at this early age, Serena is getting help from Vision Australia with speech and physical therapy.
Grant’s greatest regret is that it took him 18 years to connect with Vision Australia.
Grant’s world truly opened up when he approached Vision Australia. To this day, he continues to be supported through adaptive technology, which helps him perform in his role as a customer service officer.
As painful as it is for Grant to know his daughter shares his low vision, he also knows that she has something he didn’t as a child—Vision Australia’s support.
But we continue to need your help so that people like Grant and children like his daughter Serena will be able to live the lives they choose.
