After an active childhood — going to school, playing soccer and working part-time jobs — Francisco's life had come to a terrible standstill. An orthopedist informed him that if he didn't get out of bed he would be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Somehow he found the strength to take those first steps and relearn how to walk. "My mother was my inspiration. I did it for her, not just for me," Francisco said.

It was around this time that his cousin referred him to Braille Institute. For the first time in years Francisco's life began to turn in the right direction. Still depressed when he arrived at our center on Vermont Avenue, the immersion in Independent Living Skills classes gave him the ability to deal better with his own vision loss and rebuild the confidence he had lost during the recent years. "I was very shy when I first came in. I kept to myself a lot," he remembered.

Francisco is thriving in the Youth & Career Services Internship Program, which has him working in our talking book Library

But things changed quickly for Francisco. Within a month of his arrival, he was helping with new student orientation. And soon after, he began working in Braille Institute's Youth & Career Services Internship Program. His growth has been remarkable, and now, after 15 short months as a student, it seems everyone at the Los Angeles Sight Center knows the disarming 23-year-old and his warm smile.

These days, Francisco is busier than ever. He divides his time between his internship at Braille Institute and classes at nearby Los Angeles City College where he is studying child development. "When I was young, I always wanted to be a police officer," Francisco stated without a hint of regret. "But now I know that my calling is to help visually impaired children." And now that he's gotten moving, nothing is going to stop Francisco from realizing his dreams.