Fall 2008

As a young boy, I had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up. As my vision diminished, everyone's expectations about my future also diminished. Though my parents wanted what was best for me, they were not aware of employment resources for blind people, nor did they know any professional role models with vision loss. Indeed, I don't recall receiving any formal career counseling in my adolescence. Nobody seemed to know what I could personally achieve, or what people who were blind could professionally achieve.

Thanks to advances in technology and increased opportunities in higher education, the number of meaningful, rewarding careers open to people with vision loss today has increased dramatically. But, these opportunities are meaningless if young people entering the workforce are unaware of them.

Through AFB CareerConnect®'s database and web site, AFB educates and empowers young people with vision loss to pursue challenging careers, provides them with access to blind or visually impaired role models they can relate to, and gives them guidance as they enter the workforce. More than 1,000 mentors serve as role models on the site, helping to motivate and inspire people who are blind or visually impaired to higher goals.

This critical online community continues to grow and evolve, ensuring that a young man or woman with vision loss is given the direction and guidance that I never received. Through AFB CareerConnect®, jobseekers come to learn what we at AFB already know—that people with vision loss can do virtually anything on the job that a sighted person can do. They learn that they can achieve their goals and live their dreams, thanks to this robust, interactive career resource.

Your commitment to people with vision loss—throughout all of life's stages—is what inspires us at AFB. Thank you for enabling us to bring AFB CareerConnect® to each new aspiring generation of young people. We hope that you will continue to support our efforts to expand employment opportunities for people with vision loss.

Sincerely,
Carl R. Augusto

Fall 2008

• CareerConnect: Transition from School to Work
• 2008 Helen Keller Achievement Awards
• AFB Salutes Libby Hart
• Focus on Planned Giving