Irving, IT Manager
Irving is 55 years old and was diagnosed with Cone Rod Dystrophy (CRD) at age 35. He works in IT, and is the subject manager for a software company in Ontario. He received his eSight back in 2002 after learning about it online. Since then, he has been using it every day at work, and to help with the brightness outdoors.
“I believe eSight has made me more self-sufficient. It has replaced all the other devices I used to use.”
Researching eSight Before Purchase
Irving had considered other assistive technology options, but eSight was the one that truly caught his attention. He researched for about two years before getting the trial.
“The other devices I looked at didn’t seem comfortable to me. I made sure that I was comfortable wearing eSight.”
How Irving’s Workplace Got Involved
Irving’s vision loss was gradual, and as it was happening, he continued to update his company with his issues and frustrations so they could adjust his tasks accordingly.
“It got to a point where the director of operations offered to have the team look at options to make my job easier.”
A week after speaking with his director, Irving suggested that he could test out the trial for eSight. If it worked, his workplace would purchase it for him.
His company doesn’t have a program in place for accessibility. But Irving explained that because they appreciated the work Irving did over the years, they didn’t give a second thought in providing him with the necessary tools to continue working his job.
Working Without eSight as an IT Manager with Low Vision
Prior to receiving his eSight, Irving was mainly using big, bulky apps that came with Windows, along with a magnifying glass and a text-to-speech narrator.
“The magnifier created an awkward distorted computer screen and slowed things down for me when I was reading. The narrator also had issues whenever updates were applied to the windows system, and it forced me to always have headphones on.”
Going to Work with eSight
In his role as an IT manager with a visual impairment, Irving most commonly employs the zoom, autofocus, and grayscale contrast features.
Irving also shared that his work has changed dramatically with eSight. Now, he can participate confidently in peer presentations and review documents with ease.
“I am able to be more productive. It has allowed me to have the freedom that I used to have before my vision loss.”