More Than a Gap-Filler: Becky’s FAFTB Story

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There was a phase in Becky’s life that consisted of tragedy after tragedy.

It started last August when Becky was diagnosed suddenly with neuroretinitis.

“They weren't ever able to decide what caused it,” she said. “A bit of a mystery. They don't know why I have NR; I just do. It happened in three days. I had pain, then hazy vision, and then I was blind.”

Becky experienced a common conundrum in the blind and visually impaired community: doctors who aren’t sure how to help their patients.

“I just think they don't know what to tell you,” said Becky. “I had multiple doctors, and they were wonderful, but they didn’t know how to tell somebody such bad news. They don't know how to tell someone they will be blind, and they don't know what resources to give. Their training is in medicine and pharmaceuticals, and if those don't fix the problem, they don't know what to do."

As if vision loss wasn’t enough, misfortune struck again months later when Becky’s husband passed away after a long illness.

“I didn't have the two people I depended on: myself and him,” said Becky, adding that despite feeling “blessed with family help,” she simultaneously felt “completely adrift.”

Luckily, positive changes started taking place when Becky got the chance to take the First Aid for the Blind life skills training.

“It was life-changing for me,” she said. “It really was. It sounds extreme. I just felt completely handicapped. Going blind took away all the things I was good at.”

Specifically, Becky always valued her computer and finance management skills.

“The weeks I spent with First Aid for the Blind gave it all back to me,” she said. “I had to practice the skills, but I was able to check balances and pay bills, and that stuff was important to me. It gave me a sense of security that I knew what was going on.”

Blindness also caused Becky to feel overwhelmed by her email inbox. She had been using Siri to read her emails out loud to her, but it was a slow process. She eventually just stopped checking her emails.

Then, Becky learned VoiceOver, Apple’s screen reader, with her FAFTB trainer. She said it’s been the biggest help to her, allowing her to access different apps, filter her communications, and throw away junk messages.

At the start of her training, Becky was overwhelmed by more than 6,000 emails in her inbox. Now, she has zero, as she’s able to stay current with her daily communications.

Becky notes that, if not for First Aid for the Blind, she would still not have the training she needed to continue living her life to the fullest. While she is currently on a waitlist for a more in-depth training program, her enrollment date is set for 15 months after her original diagnosis.

“[FAFTB is] more than a gap filler. It turned everything around for me,” she said, adding her gratitude that “Kurt made his services available so much sooner.”

Becky credits her sister and friend for helping her get started with the FAFTB training, and she also moved in with a roommate, anticipating that she would continue needing assistance for daily tasks. Funny enough, she jokes that she now only needs her roommate to locate spiderwebs!

"I have a wonderful community around me,” she said. “I still have people help me, but I can do it now.”

While Becky is appreciative of her loved ones and is looking forward to additional, more intensive training, she already feels more confident in her own independence.

“FAFTB gave me a lot of my independence back,” said Becky. “It lifted me from feeling helpless and dependent on others. It lifted me back to a place where I am on my feet again.”