A Buffalo man facing a life-changing challenge is sharing his story, and speaking about the resources that helped him start a new chapter in his career. Time Warner Cable News reporter Kaitlyn Lionti introduces you to Gary Wagner, and explains how losing his sight hasn't stopped him from finding success.
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- It's where Western New York's veterans go for health care, but for Gary Wagner, the Buffalo VA Medical Center provided a job opportunity at a time when he needed to make a career change.
"I have a condition which is called retinitis pigmentosa, also referred to as 'RP,' it's a hereditary condition. RP is a degenerative retina condition, which usually causes blindness over time," said Wagner.
While he previously worked as an operations manager and owned a small business, Wagner's vision got to the point where he couldn't continue those roles.
"At this difficult time is when I reached out to the Olmsted Center. I didn't know if they could help, but I inquired about employment opportunities," said Wagner, "I learned that the Olmsted Center had a contract to operate the switch board at the VA hospital with blind labor."
He was hired as a part-time operator, and says he "was grateful to be employed and eventually I was given a full-time position. This allowed me to, of course, support my family."
As time went on, Wagner learned more about the services and opportunities the Olmsted Center for Sight and the National Industries for the Blind offer, and he enrolled in a business management training program.
"This program targets qualified, highly-potentialed employees of National Industries for the Blind and its associated agencies who are blind that demonstrate leadership potential. Through that type of opportunity, I was able to obtain essential skills for upward mobility," said Wagner.
And after completing the program, he was promoted to switchboard manager at the VA.
"One of my main responsibilities is to eliminate any barriers that may exist to allow a blind person to operate as an autonomous manager. I am the first blind or visually impaired person who's been appointed to this particular role, so I think that's a very challenging objective for me to achieve," said Wagner.
He said the goal is to continue to fill this role with blind professionals, and he's been amazed by the technology available to assist his work, "which allows people who are blind to not only be employed, but to achieve professional success."