Thriving with Vision Loss

Vision Loss Impacts Everyone and I Have Solutions for Employers, Jobseekers, and Caregivers.

Learn to Thrive with Vision Loss

Employment opportunities when blind may seem elusive but the reality is many options exist. My Employment Partners tab delineates a number of those options.
EMPLOY PEOPLE WHO ARE BLIND & VETERANS

Are you an employer who believes in the ROI for hiring people with disabilities? How about veterans & military spouses? Check out my Employment Partners.

JOBSEEKER INSPIRATION & RESOURCES

Are you a jobseeker who is blind or visually impaired? Check out our Jobseeker resources and uncover a wonderful new world of meaningful employment.

Thriving with blindness starts with a friend or loved one to help with the transition. Sometimes it's just an elbow but in reality, it's a journey.
HELP & INSPIRATION IS AVAILABLE FOR CAREGIVERS

Caregivers have an incredibly hard role to play. My experience with my Mom and these resources may facilitate the journey.

Ed Henkler is The Blind Guide

HEAR FROM ED, the FOUNDER OF THE BLIND GUIDE

Hear how TheBlindGuide got started and Ed’s wish for you
here. We know it’s hard but you can thrive and we’ll be with you every step of the way!

Employers: The Blind Guide can connect you with the Hidden Candidate Market of People who are blind and so many others.

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POSTS by category

My passion is helping people thrive with vision loss and that includes the caregivers who are involved in the journey. Novel technology, meaningful employment, transitioning through vision loss, and so much more. 

Technology enables independence with OrCam MyEye.
assistive

Technology

Advances in healthcare and technology are creating a much more accessible world than existed even a few years ago.

more tech
Caregivers are an essential part of the ecosystem for someone transitioning vision loss.
Care & Encouragement For

caregivers

Caregiver vs. Caretaker? How do you best support your friend or loved one as they transition through vision loss. It’s an evolving role, requiring mutual respect and understanding.

learn more
Jobseekers take many forms but one fact is that people who are blind have averaged 70% unemployment for decades so they are seldom part of a lineup like this.
Hope for

Job Seekers

I believe there is a hidden candidate market. It starts with people who are blind and an associated 70% unemployment rate. You bring cognitive diversity and loyalty to an employer wise enough to hire you.

get started
For Employers

Explore the hidden candidate market

I collaborate with a number of employment partners to increase the employment of under-represented groups. These groups include veterans, military spouses, and people with disabilities (especially blindness). Better candidates, better retention, cognitive diversity. Wondering what jobs someone who is blind can do? The answer is almost anything. IT, talent sourcing, cybersecurity, and so much more.

blind unemployment rate
employer resources
jobs for blind
jobseeker resources
Surviving isn’t enough

Are you thriving?

Too many people (and their caregivers) are content to do what I’d call surviving. Staying safe in their homes and occasionally venturing out with friends or family. That’s not enough. Learn to do everything you did before you lost your sight…and more. Thriving is possible. What’s your goal?

contact me
Level I thriving is regaining basic skills (activities for daily living) after losing your vision.
Level 1

This occurs when you are comfortable traveling independently to familiar locations and completing activities for daily living such as cooking, laundry and the like.

Level II thriving is about venturing beyond your home and maybe even visiting new destinations.
Level 2

In addition to Level I activities, you are now comfortable traveling to new locations, using unfamiliar means of transportation, and accomplishing discretionary activities.

Level III thriving is when you are able to get back to doing the things you did before losing your vision with your friends, not other people who are blind.
Level 3

In addition to Level II activities, you have now fully restored quality of life and you’re doing everything you did before vision loss. As our clients at the blind association used to say, “I don’t want to do things with a bunch of blind people I don’t know. I want to do things with my friends!”

find a resource

Is a friend or loved one losing their sight? Are you losing your sight but you’re still of employment age and want to find meaningful work? Are you an employer struggling to find and retain great employees? The Blind Guide can help in all three scenarios. Let’s talk.

EMPLOYment partners

Are you an employer who believes in the ROI for hiring people with disabilities? How about veterans & military spouses? Check out my Employment Partners.

job seekers

Are you a jobseeker who is blind or visually impaired? Check out our Jobseeker resources and uncover a wonderful new world.

caregivers

Caregivers have an incredibly hard role to play. My experience with my Mom and these resources may facilitate the journey.

Editor

Ed Henkler

Social entrepreneur who is passionate about improving quality of life and employability of people who are blind or visually-impaired. I believe there is a business ROI to hire people with disabilities. I am working with several companies which focus on increasing the meaningful employment of people with disabilities. Contact me to learn more.

schedule a call
Photo of Ed Henkler
Best Wishes

What people say about me

I spent 31 years of my life doing things of which I was proud. An early retirement forced me to rethink my priorities and I’m now doing work about which I’m passionate.

“Ed impressed me greatly not only as a highly competent and motivated professional but also as adeveloper of talent within the organization. His efforts to develop employees, from multiplefunctions and at different levels, was truly impressive. As Ed coached, he also challenged employees to take on stretch goals that he tied into appropriate training and mentoring. I would
gladly work with Ed at any time and hope to do so at some time in the future.” 

Master Black Belt, Project Management Executive

“Ed is connector, mentor, and coach.  He is not like most other Coaches.  I found him through common business connections and engaged him as my Career Coach.  He is kind and thoughtful and has a business style that is trustworthy and effective”

Senior Financial Leader

“We all have strengths AND weaknesses, don’t we. The idea is to maximize, enhance, polish, and otherwise make the most of our strengths. Let’s call them talents. On the other hand, we also want to render any weaknesses to have only minimal effect on the success of our endeavors. I have had occasion to see Ed Henkler do all of that and more. His talents include a tremendously developed thought process, a wonderful sense of how to organize, and attention to detail that I can only think came from his education and his Naval Academy training. After a successful business career at Merck Pharmaceuticals, Ed has diligently led a nonprofit for the blind, earning him the respect of those who worked with him.”

Small Business Owner

Ideas & Gifts

highlights

Holiday Gift Giving Guide

I periodically update my gift giving guide, which includes assistive technology, eBooks, and other suggestions for someone who is blind.

But I am also guided by a comment I once heard about just wanting to do the same things the person did before they lost their vision. And they wanted to do them with the friends they had when sighted. With that in mind, I’ve also included a few tools to make your favorite adult beverage taste even better.

And that’s thriving with vision loss!

Blindness is not the end
Blindness: Moving from Surviving to Thriving after Vision Loss
SleepPhones bluetooth headphones are wonderful audio assistive technology for anyone who is blind or visually impaired and needs audio input from one of their applications. They also contribute to hands-free solutions.
SleepPhones Bluetooth Headphones are amazingly comfortable – perfect when laying down. This wonderful audio assisitive technology can also make many applications hands-free (e.g. WeWALK smartcane).

Join Our Newsletter

Do you want to stay on top of the latest assistive technology for people who are blind or visually impaired. How about being inspired by others who are thriving with vision loss? Are you attempting to defeat the 70% unemployment rate for people who are blind but finding meaningful employment? Are you an employer who believes their team would be strengthened by hiring someone who is blind?

In every case, you should register for The Blind Guide newsletter.