Rocklin Company Helping to Break Barriers for Blind Acceptance
Jun 03, 2015 02:08PM ● By Amber Foster
Photo by Dante Fontana © Style Media Group
Darlene O’Brien lost her sight when she was just 35 years old.
Born with a rare genetic disorder causing weak retinas, she endured 12 unsuccessful surgical attempts to repair the problem. As a result, O’Brien had to re-learn basic, daily life skills—cooking, cleaning and taking care of her two children—as a blind person.
Perseverance paid off and she ultimately learned again to do basically everything sighted people can. The toughest challenge, however, was the change in the way people treated her. Servers in restaurants would ask O’Brien’s sighted companions what she needed; other people would ignore her entirely.
“Inside, I was the same Darlene O’Brien I always had been,” she explains. “It was how people perceived me that changed.”
O’Brien soon got involved in A Touch of Understanding, a nonprofit that educates children about disabilities. She also helped create the career development program at Society for the Blind in Sacramento, in order to provide people who have disabilities with the skills needed to secure jobs. Unfortunately, many employers remain reluctant to hire people with disabilities, due to concerns about being unable to accommodate their needs.
To that end, O’Brien founded Blind Ambition, which trains employers and co-workers about the etiquette desired when working with disabled employees. What’s more, O’Brien is also a popular motivational speaker. Her message is simple: People with disabilities want to be treated like everyone else. “We are all ordinary folks,” O’Brien says. “The biggest limitation we face is what other people think of us.”
— Amber Foster
Q: What advice would you give to your younger self?
A: Trust yourself. When your heart tells you something, believe it. Self-doubt is a waste of time and very detrimental to your own progress. I would tell young Darlene that she has been, and always will be, the best person to determine what is best for her.
Q: What’s your biggest pet peeve?
A: Insensitivity to any living thing: people, animals, trees, etc. I don’t understand how people can blithely hurt anyone else.
Q: Best words of wisdom you’ve received?
A: This too shall pass.
For more about Darlene O'Brien and other local happenings and information, be sure to pick up this month's copy of Style – Roseville Granite Bay Rocklin edition.