With four younger siblings and a single mom, Juan N. was equally concerned about their wellbeing as his own when he began losing his vision at age 22. Juan first noticed that his eyesight was blurry in 2012. But he didn’t have health insurance and couldn’t afford to see an eye doctor. He worked with his mother in a warehouse, packing and shipping clothing, while helping her raise his young siblings. Concerned about his vision loss, he saved enough money to buy health insurance so he could see an eye doctor. After a series of tests and a six-month wait for results, he was told that he had Leber congenital amaurosis, a rare, genetic retinal disease.
“They said they couldn’t fix my vision,” says Juan, now 35, who had been a high school athlete and a competitive skateboarder. “I cried. From there I had depression and stayed home.” Though a hospital provided a referral to Braille Institute, he resisted until his sister and mother encouraged him. “At first, I didn’t want to come. I didn’t want to accept that I needed help. Once I got the courage to come, I saw I wasn’t the only one with a vision problem.”
Beginning in 2015, Juan signed up for basketry, independent living skills, and American Sign Language classes. “I was thinking that would open my mind more,” he says. “I don’t want to be shut down.”
In 2018, Juan had a setback, and fell back into depression. He stopped going to Braille Institute when the organization switched to remote classes during the Covid pandemic. In 2022, his family’s home caught fire from neighborhood fireworks, and they lost all their possessions, leaving them homeless for three months. It wasn’t until January 2025 that he was able to return to Braille Institute. A social worker recommended that he take a cooking class.
“The cooking teacher, Wendy Castillo, opened my mind,” Juan says. “I like to pick her brain and ask her questions. If she doesn’t have an answer, she’ll figure it out. She’ll say, ‘Stick around and I’ll teach you whatever you want.’”
Though Juan can only see shapes and shadows, he often gets around without a white cane, because he has memorized the location of buildings, bus stops, and other aspects of the environments he frequents. He often travels alone to visit family members in Alabama and Guatemala. “I’ve memorized the layout of Braille Institute’s Los Angeles center. I’ve memorized all of downtown L.A. Don’t underestimate me. If I have to be somewhere, I’ll be there.”
Nothing seems to make Juan happier than volunteering at Braille Institute. In 2025, he began volunteering twice a week, assisting in a basket-making class and a ceramics class. “I told the volunteer coordinator, ‘Wherever you need me, I’m there for you.’ Braille Institute has given me a lot of tools, knowledge, and motivation. I’m honored to give back. It makes me feel good.”
