Photo: Tanja Milojevic, MCB client, with her service dog Nabu
How MCB helps:
Brittany Taylor, MCB Counselor
“Specifically, the goal of MCB's Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) counselors is to make sure someone is gainfully employed. Either in a job they held before losing their vision or some new field. If someone is working, they have a much greater ability to be independent. Even if their goal is to be able to travel to work independently, that's success. In my book.”
Kara Sittig, MCB Supervisor and Counselor
“We really aim to help people become and feel like regular, successful adults that just happen to be living with blindness. That's really the ultimate measure we apply to every client we meet.”
Brendan Foley, TVI, South East Collective
“For many of the students, as they move beyond graduation and out into their lives, I really hope they're self-motivated to understand themselves, what they want, and how they're going to move forward to achieve that. Success means they're confident, they understand themselves and their limitations, and they know how to overcome them.”
Sara Regan, parent of two blind children/MCB Clients
“One of the most surprising things about MCB was the individual focus for each of my (blind) kids. I think I assumed as a state agency they might apply rubber-stamp plans. But they really are invested in each kid’s individual success and listen and work towards what that means for each of them.”
James Leahy, MCB Client
“At first, success was in little things: being able to find the bus stop or train station; things I learned at the Carroll Center. But over time, it became learning technology and other tools that set me up for success, on a micro or macro scale.”
Jimmy Lopez, MCB Client
“I was really motivated to succeed and knew what I wanted to do. MCB was there at every step with adaptive equipment, internships, interview training, and other things I needed. I mean, it was up to me to do the work, but they were a huge help in making sure I had what I needed to accomplish those things.”
Tanja Milojevic, MCB Client
“MCB really helped me gain confidence in my first interviews. Everything from getting the right clothing, the proper soft skills, to showing the interviewer a bit of my process of how I get things done. That training early on has helped me in every interview process since, knowing how to prepare and win the job offers.”
Mayanne MacDonald-Briggs, MCB Counselor
“Their success really is my success. If they don't thrive, I'm not successful in my job. If they have goals and can apply themselves, those are the best kinds of clients because we really throw ourselves into helping them achieve those goals, no matter what kind of effort we need to apply to get them the support they need.”
Joe Buizon, MCB Employment Services
“At MCB, we really try to bring our clients not simply hope, but actually an action plan that can be measured against their definition of success. Then we are there with them to make that plan real and supportive for them as they apply themselves to their goals.”
Elana Regan, MCB Client
“Really having that support, both from family and from MCB, has really meant everything to me as I've moved through my life.”
Brittany Taylor
“There's the technical measure of MCB success: are they employed and independent. But really what we consider the ultimate measure is if they're happy. Are they happy with what we offer them and bring into their lives? That's what makes success for us in every case.”