Ernie Payton Center-Based ServicesNext Story »
In November 2003, doctors declared Ernie Payton legally blind. He was devastated to lose his freedom, giving up his drivers license and his job of 26 years. Ernie lost his sight to Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), an inherited, degenerative eye disease that causes severe vision impairment and blindness. In 2008, Ernie finally had to retire from the post office. "It was hard to give it all up. When you lose your freedom, you've lost about everything, in my opinion," said Ernie. Ernie had to learn how to live in a new way, without vision. He began to teach himself using "common sense" to manage everyday tasks like brushing his teeth and fixing lunch. But he soon found he was having more trouble dealing with things than he had expected. That's when Ernie talked to a vision rehabilitation counselor and was referred to Bosma. "When I came to Bosma, they taught me quite a bit more about things I already thought I'd mastered," said Ernie."When you feel comfortable going out into public again, you get your freedom back. And that's a big step." Through Bosma's center-based rehabilitation program, Ernie learned a new way of doing things without vision. He worked with computers, learned keyboarding, and even how to make minor repairs around his house. Most of all, Ernie learned how to contend with the outside world, using both old and new technology-- the Internet and Braille. He learned that labeling things around his home with Braille-- the microwave, the dishwasher, could make daily tasks so much easier. Through the program, Ernie has his feet on the ground and has learned to navigate the inner city, cross-walks, and the bus system. Ernie came away from his Bosma experience with a new, positive outlook. He was most inspired by the fact that 60 percent of Bosma's employees are blind or visually impaired. "It's such a motivational thing for me to see visually impaired people working at Bosma. It gave me the knowledge to know I could do it. If they can do it, I can do it."
