Where Are They Now? Joel Gomez Update

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? 

I wanted to be a professional musician, recording albums and traveling the world for performances.  My other aspiration was to play professional soccer for F.C. Barcelona.  However, as I earned my position on more competitive soccer teams, my visual impairment made it impossible for me to track the ball, so I took my speed to the track.   

Growing up, what was most challenging about having a vision disorder?

The most challenging thing that came along with having a vision disorder was explaining my vision to teachers in the classroom.  At first glance, I don’t appear to be visually impaired and sometimes teachers would doubtfully question me or my parents regarding what accommodations were necessary for me to learn.

What unique challenges did you have to overcome with your impaired vision that most sighted people might not think about?

Some unique challenges include knowing when it is safe to cross streets, reading menus, and distinguishing various colors.  Locating and identifying my friends and parents in a crowd is impossible for me.  I normally would ask whoever is with me to stay in an agreed-upon “exact spot” so I would know how to find them.  When running a race, while others may be able to see the competitors around them, I do my best to listen carefully, as hearing my competitors helps me distinguish where they are.

How was your school experience different from classmates who had full sight?

When in elementary school, the technology that enables me to see in the classroom today was not as readily available.  I would often have to move right up to the board to be able to see what the teacher was writing.  I would have to ask the teacher to enlarge the handouts that she would give the class as well as to try to not use colors that, with my vision, blended together or disappeared on the white board.  

As I progressed through middle school, I was provided with a much more compact technological vision aid that I would carry with me from class to class.  It helped significantly, as I was able to remain sitting at my desk and I was able to see the board, but that equipment was unreliable and broke quite often.  

As I progressed into my freshman year of high school, the school district was unwilling to provide what I needed to see in the classroom.  Therefore, my parents and I began our own fundraiser to help purchase a pair of electronic glasses called eSight.  With the help of donors, Vision of Children, and eSight, I was able to purchase the glasses, allowing me to have a functioning visual aid in the classroom.  Ever since then, I have been using eSight eyewear in the classroom to see the board.  The special thing about the glasses is that they allow me to function in almost the exact same way as a normally sighted student.  I am able to have an equal learning experience as my peers and not stand out as completely different.

What are you currently working towards? 

Currently, I am training in preparation for the 2021 high school track season as well as the Tokyo 2021 Paralympics.  I will be graduating high school in June 2021.

What are your goals for the near future?

My main goal for the near future is to qualify for the Tokyo 2021 Paralympics.  I also have a short list of colleges which I will be applying for this fall.

Do you think science will find a cure in our lifetime?

I do believe that the ongoing mission by Vision of Children to find cures for genetic vision disorders like mine will be successful in our lifetime.  

Where do you see yourself in 20 years?

That’s a long time out from now!  I hope to still be running, maybe even competitively.  I would like to be working as an engineer, maybe even for my own company.  My absolute dream job would be to work as an Imagineer for Disney.  I’ve always had a fascination with design and creativity.

What advice would you give to a child who has a genetic vision disorder?

I would say to them that truly anything is possible as long as they are willing to work hard to get to where they want to be.  Don’t limit your possibilities, set a goal, and stop at nothing to achieve it

What is the most important thing that sighted people should know about people who have a visual impairment?

I think that sighted people, when encountering a person with a visual impairment, should know to have patience, trust and flexibility, as sometimes our needs can be different than what they think they might be.