Don't ever give up. Get out there and push yourself to explore new things.
Mary Conner, 71, of Charlotte, has lived with vision loss most of her life, having been born with Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), an eye disease that affects premature infants.
"Being visually impaired since my childhood, my parents never treated me as having a disability," said Mary. "I learned a lot on my own, and I kept up with my siblings every step of the way growing up."
A native of Queens, New York, Mary had access to many resources early in her life, including mobility classes for those with low vision and learning how to use a white cane to navigate public transportation, sidewalks, and city streets. She deftly commuted to her job in New York City as a medical transcriptionist, where she worked for many years until her vision loss began to interfere with her ability to perform her job.
Mary describes the years after her professional career as an opportunity to learn all she could. "There was always music in my life," said Mary. "It became my salvation after I stopped working. I love performing in front of an audience." A singer and songwriter, Mary studied voice and instrument lessons using braille, and other methods, at numerous music schools for the visually impaired.
"Even though I lived with vision loss, as I got older, I was faced with new challenges that come with aging and diminished eyesight," said Mary. She recently relocated to a retirement community in Charlotte, citing her desire to live in a warmer climate, meet new people and learn new things in a community that was supportive and accommodating of her vision loss.
In her new hometown of Charlotte, Mary sought the assistance of several state associations for the visually impaired and quickly mastered the public transportation system and special transit services available to those with vision loss.
But it was in her own retirement community that Mary found a new purpose.
"So many of the residents I met since moving to this new facility are experiencing some form of vision loss. Many have no help, very few visitors, and don't have the support that I had my entire life." Mary spends much of her personal time visiting with and assisting her neighbors by connecting them to resources, including Hadley. "Many of my neighbors with vision loss are alone most of the time. I try to visit them as often as I can, sometimes I show them tricks on their computer or phone, or sometimes we just talk."
Over the years Mary has witnessed the evolution of Hadley. "Decades ago, I learned from Hadley through books and recordings I got by mail, but today Hadley has so much for those wanting to learn just about anything online or through the mail," said Mary. She's become very active on social media, even developing a following on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Clubhouse, offering suggestions for others who have visual impairments, and staying connected to friends everywhere. "It's fantastic the things that Hadley offers on technology like adjusting settings on your computer to be able to see it better and get on social media. It's such a valuable tool."
Mary is emphatic when providing advice to others who are living with vision loss. "Don't ever give up. Get out there and push yourself to explore new things. Learn technology, your computer, your phone. These are great assets that too many people are intimidated by. But it's easy once you dive in."
Over the past few months, Mary has been providing valuable feedback to Hadley, too. For all her work in helping others, and providing inspiration and advice, Mary is the latest Hadley learner to be named a recipient of Hadley's HEROES Award.
"The dedication and enthusiasm of participants like Mary truly helps Hadley be our best," remarks Julie Tye, Hadley CEO.