Clay Nelson, Life Balance: Visually Impaired See Life In Different Light

A visit to the Braille Institute of Santa Barbara can serve as inspiration for us all

By Clay Nelson, Life Balance | Published on 05.04.2009

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A few weeks ago, I had the immense pleasure of touring the Braille Institute in Santa Barbara. I went with the idea that there were helpless souls there who I could somehow help rescue. Instead, I left there inspired by the courage and strength of the people I met and awed by the commitment of the organization’s administrators, staff and volunteers.

The Braille Institute’s slogan reads: Empowering visually impaired individuals to lead fulfilling lives.

As I ponder their commitment and my visit, I realize there is a lot that the Braille Institute and its clients can do to empower and inspire those of us who have our sight. In some ways, I think they see much more clearly than the rest of us.

Just think about what your world would be like if it were dark. How much more present could you be to your other senses? How much better do you think you could listen? How much more unstoppable could you choose to become?

Each one of us has faced a moment (or more) when we had to choose to sit back and wallow in self-pity and defeat or choose to be unstoppable in the face of our challenges. My friends, if the amazing lives these visually impaired individuals are able to lead, with the help of the Braille Institute, doesn’t inspire you to be unstoppable, too, I don’t know what will.

Rooted deep in their determination to have the life they say they want, no matter what their disability, visually impaired adults are golfing … creating beautiful pottery … living independent lives … cooking gourmet meals.

Committed volunteers, staff members and administrators at the Braille Institute are helping provide visually impaired children and their families with the early intervention necessary to create a foundation of physical and emotional well-being for everyone involved.

The Braille Institute’s Youth & Teen Services is helping visually impaired young people – ages 6 to 18 – grow in confidence and self-esteem as they prepare for whatever path they choose in life. These young people aren’t just sitting in class rooms either. They are rock climbing, surfing, white-water rafting, and learning that they can do anything they want to do.

Now, tell me. How many of you have let something much, much less than visual impairment stop you from doing what you say you want to do?

Don’t be stopped by your fears. Don’t allow worries about looking bad, or not doing something the “right” way, keep you from having an outrageous life. You can have and do whatever it is you want to, but you do have to take two very important steps to get there:

» You’ve got to choose to be unstoppable no matter what.

» You’ve got to ask for help.

Both of these steps are illustrated by each of the Braille Institute’s success stories. These individuals first choose to embrace the fact that in spite of their visual impairment, they do have a say in how their lives turn out, and with that determination they then ask for the help they need to live the lives they want to live.

Remember: Only you have a say in how your life turns out. What do you say? Better yet, what do you choose?

Click here for more information about the Braille Institute go to: www.brailleinstitute.org or contact, or click here to view the institute’s “Empowering People” video.

— Santa Barbara resident Clay Nelson founded Clay Nelson Life Balance™ to provide businesses and individuals with what may be missing in their lives: purpose, personal and business planning, fun, effective delegation through team management, and accountability. Click here to download Clay’s complimentary e-book, The Balanced Life — How to Put Fun, Family and Financial Freedom into Your Business and Personal Life. Click here to subscribe to the free podcast of The Clay Nelson Life Balance™ Hour.

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