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Meet Desiree Eusebio. The following video features an individual seated in an office conference room speaking to the camera about her experiences with the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind or MCB, and their Vocational Rehabilitation or VR services. The speaker is Desiree Eusebio, MCB client.
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Desiree Eusebio: I lost my sight about five and a half years ago, when I was 16 years old. I was a victim of gun violence. The doctors had let me know that recovering sight wasn't possible because of where the injury had occurred. I had to just accept then and there, in that moment, that I was completely blind. It felt just extremely scary, I knew that everything was going to be different. I can't go back to school; I don't feel like I can play any more sports. I also even felt like I was never going to be able to use a phone again, and I just felt like my life was…was kind of over. I've always been somebody who's very determined, and I'm grateful to be alive. Just coming to that realization, it caused me to just say, “You know what, I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna go forward, and even if it's hard, I'm gonna push.” MCB was in touch with me from the beginning. Kara as well, being my case manager, she definitely was so understanding and really helped me through a lot. I was grateful to have somebody through MCB who understood blindness, understood what resources and everything that I needed to even survive and live this life efficiently. And sometimes I'd have difficulty finding or signing up for certain things, and she definitely helped me with learning about different resources, and like, apps and different things I never knew that I could do as a blind person. They helped me get connected to the Adult Learning Center in Lawrence, and getting all the, like, tools I needed to start and be in the classroom, whether it was a talking calculator or a tactile map. And so it wasn't too overwhelming because of that. I got my own place after I finished school, and I am working into getting into classes for the entrepreneur program. It's through community teamwork, and they're a program where they help set you up with starting your own business, getting connected with a mentor, learning just the basics of what to know on marketing and sales and your brand, and learning how, who do I need to get connected with? How can I get like a graphic designer or an artist, someone who can bring the ideas I have in my head to life? From there, to see the success come from it, that's where I'm headed – just better, stronger, more independent. I've actually become better now than I ever was before, emotionally and mentally. Since losing my sight, I feel like I can actually see now more than I ever could before.
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To learn more about and contact the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind, find them online at mass.gov. Or call 800-392-6450.