Rebecca Rosenberg was born with albinism, which causes low vision. During her college years, she grew frustrated by the lack of effective assistive technology for people with visual impairments. Instead of waiting for someone else to solve the problem, she decided to take action. That drive led her to create ReBokeh, an assistive technology company dedicated to enabling true visual experience inclusion.
www.ReBokeh.com
David Mayne lost his sight as the result of an automobile accident in his 40s. The years that followed were filled with recovery—physically, emotionally, and financially—as he navigated life on disability while raising four children as a single father. But David’s drive to provide for his family and rebuild his independence pushed him forward.
He enrolled in a cybersecurity program at a junior college, and within just a year and a half of starting his first job, he rose to a management position overseeing two different locations. But what’s most inspiring is what came next—David wanted to open the same doors that had been opened for him.
He helped create and now directs the APEX Program at Novacoast, an initiative designed to train and empower people who are blind or have low vision to pursue careers in cybersecurity.
In our conversation, David shares his incredible journey from tragedy to triumph, how he found purpose through technology, and how APEX is transforming accessibility in the cybersecurity industry.
In this episode, we sit down with Tanner Gers, CEO and cofounder of AccessAbility Officer, a company that’s redefining inclusion in the digital age. As a blind entrepreneur, Tanner is leading a mission-driven organization with two powerful goals: training people with disabilities to become skilled in the field of digital accessibility and employing them to serve government organizations in need of accessibility expertise.
With a workforce made up primarily of people with disabilities, Tanner and his team are proving that talent knows no limits — and working toward a future where the unemployment rate for people with disabilities matches that of the general population. Tune in to hear Tanner’s inspiring story, his vision for a more inclusive digital world, and how Accessibility Officer is turning that vision into action.
AccessAbility Officer: Ability is our middle name
Website: accessabilityofficer.comSocial media:
Today’s guest is Dr. JR Rizzo, a physician-scientist at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. His journey is nothing short of remarkable—marked by resilience, determination, and an unwavering drive to make an impact. Despite facing the challenges of a rare vision-loss condition called Choroideremia, Dr. Rizzo has forged a path of perseverance, transforming obstacles into opportunities. In this episode, we’ll explore his inspiring story, groundbreaking work, and the lessons he’s learned along the way.
Curtis Jackson is a multifaceted professional with a story worth hearing. After many years working in IT, he transitioned into cybersecurity through the Apex Training Program, sponsored by Novacoast. Beyond his role as a cybersecurity analyst, Curtis runs a successful vending machine business through the Randolph-Sheppard program and channels his creativity as a hip-hop artist. His journey is one of resilience, entrepreneurship, and passion—blending technology, business, and music into a truly unique path.
The Apex Program is a specialized training initiative designed to equip blind and low vision individuals with the skills to pursue careers as cybersecurity analysts. Cybersecurity analysts enjoy above-average earning potential, strong job security, and abundant opportunities nationwide—many of which offer the flexibility of remote work.
www.theapexprogram.com
In this inspiring episode, we sit down with Chanthen Nene, a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University with degrees in Business and Film. Despite living with Nystagmus, a visual impairment, Chanthen remains deeply committed to his passion for filmmaking. He shares his journey through higher education, creative expression, and advocacy, including his current role as Chair of the Virginia State Rehabilitation Council for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Join us as we explore how vision is more than just sight — it's about determination, perspective, and purpose.
There is a dedicated community of blind and low-vision professionals at NASA, including Denna Lambert, who currently serves as the Lead for Private-Public Partnerships."
Kathryn has been dealing with vision loss since birth. She lost all of her sight at the age of 22, but that didn’t stop her from having a successful career at Deloitte, attending Harvard Business School, and currently holding a Principal position at KKR.
Randi lost his sight many years ago. While on long-term disability, he wanted to continue having a meaningful impact on the organization he was passionate about. To accomplish this, he started a nonprofit with the goal of donating $1 million to those organizations. That experience and demonstration of leadership ultimately led to his current position as CEO of Future In Sight."
www.seable.co.uk
Seable is a tour guide company focused on serving, and hiring from the blind and visually impaired community. Their tours focus on things that you can touch, taste, smell, or hear. Also, their tour guides are trained on how to work with blind and visually impaired people, which helps ensure an enjoyable experience .
Breandan is gradually losing his sight. He initially began his career in Investment Banking with Goldman Sachs, and continued in banking with Morgan Stanley. Once he realized he wanted to pursue a career that would be less visually intensive, he sought out additional education at NYU, and ultimately became a leadership coach.
John Dubay is a sighted person, but 100% of his employees are blind or low vision. His company, Leads at Scale, didn't start out that way, but he found blind and low vision hires brought a more consistent and high quality skill set. Check them out at www.leadsatscale.com
Nathaniel always had a passion for large infrastructure and a desire to become a Civil Engineer. Despite being blind, his hard work and dedication to pursuing his passion, has resulted in him to become a Supervisory Civil Engineer, with the U.S. Army Core of Engineers.
Janet along with her husband started Kelly Benefits many years ago. Their son John joined the company after college and today serves as the Chief Innovation and Strategy Officer. Many members of their family have a retinal degenerative condition called Best disease, but low vision hasn't deterred any of them from pursuing their passions.
David is losing his sight to Best disease, an early onset type of Macular Degeneration. Soon after his diagnosis he decided that vision loss wouldn't define him. He was recruited to play Division 1 Lacrosse at Rutgers University. After completing his degree he joined Kelly Benefits and is still there today as an Account Executive.
Michael is loosing his sight to Retinitis Pigmentosa. He was diagnosed in his teenage years, but it wasn't until after completing college, a MBA, and well into his career in the Aviation Industry that he became more open about his vision loss. Even after being more open about his vision loss, he continue to succeed in his career, and today is the Chief Strategy Officer at Abra Group, a holding company for two international airlines. Make sure to reach out to Michael on Linkedin.
These are two inspiring visually impaired women at Ablr. Shannon is an instructor, and explains the ins and outs of how the program works. Parrice is now in her intern phase of the program. She has excelled during her time with Ablr, obtaining several certifications in digital accessibility. To learn more about the program reach out to Shannon, shannon.garner@ablr360.com. To connect with Parrice, email her at parriceleach@gmail.com.
John Samuel is losing his sight to Retinitis Pigmentosa. He only started being open about his vision loss when he attended The George Washington University School of Business. Once he began being open about his vision loss in his professional life as well, he found and help create Ablr, a Disability inclusion and digital accessibility company.
Karla lost her sight early in life. From a young age she had an interest in becoming a Lawyer and ultimately graduated from Georgetown University Law School. She's worked at several different law firms throughout her career, and today is a lawyer at Public Justice.