A former assistant manager at Marriott hotels, Yvette G. spent her career in the hospitality industry going the extra mile to serve customers. So when a friend with a visual impairment was unable to watch a film at an AMC movie theater because the staff could not provide a functioning assistive device so she could appreciate the film, Yvette took action. Visually impaired herself, she contacted the theater and eventually reached a corporate executive who invited her to educate staff on assistive devices at one of its theaters. The results were so positive that the executive asked her to speak to more of its staff. “Training staff to recognize the needs of people with visual impairment is a beautiful thing,” says Yvette. “I’m glad to be part of it.”
Yvette’s journey with low vision began in February 2020 when she was hospitalized with a 105-degree fever that lasted four days. Tests revealed that she had COVID. Two months later, her vision became blurry. Doctors discovered that her retinas were detaching, caused by that sustained fever. Two retinologists told her that nothing could be done. Over two years, she lost nearly all her vision.
During that time, Yvette became depressed and was terrified of leaving her house. When an optometrist referred her to Braille Institute, she put it off for months until her older brother persuaded her to make an appointment. “I didn’t think Braille Institute or anyone else could help me, but my brother insisted that it wouldn’t hurt to try.”
Braille Institute, Yvette says, provided her with “a new normal.” She joined a support group and made instant connections. “Like me, they also faced depression and had friends who didn’t understand what they were going through. I loved that I had a safe space where I could express what I was feeling and what I was going through.” Yvette also learned about assistive technology, such as the voice over function on her iPhone, and magnification devices. She took a cooking class so she could navigate her kitchen and signed up for library services.
In November 2022, Yvette saw a new retinologist who said he could save one of her eyes, and after three surgeries she regained 80% of her vision in her right eye. Now 33, Yvette continues to be an active member of the Braille Institute community. “Now that I have my eyesight back, I never take anything for granted,” she says. “I have gratitude and appreciation for everything, especially Braille Institute, which gave me my community and support system. Braille Institute has given me so much.”
