Little Rock Man With Visual Impairment Succeeds in Life, Is Nominated for Award

Robert Chiaro of Little Rock has been nominated as a candidate for the Annual Consumer of the Year Award to be presented by Arkansas Department of Human Services Division of State Services for the Blind (DSB). The overall winner will be named at the end of the year.

Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor Terra Patrom nominated him saying, “Chiaro is a true testiment to the rehabilitation process. He had excellent follow through and completed his (vocational rehabilitation) plan as agreed. His continued effort has shown that hard work does pay off in the end.” Chiaro earns competitive wages and receives health insurance and other benefits from his employer.

“Thank you very much for nominating me for Consumer of the Year. It's a great honor,” said Chiaro, who is the warehouse manager at Lighthouse for the Blind and an inventory control manager trainee.

“A few years before becoming a consumer of DSB, I had a good job and was well on my way to becoming a successful land surveyor with an engineering firm. My vision started deteriorating and it was to the point where I could no longer perform my duties. I thought it would be an easy fix by seeing the eye doctor. However, he said he could not help me and sent me to a specialist. After examining me, the doctor informed me of a program with Division of Services for the Blind where I could obtain a scholarship and further my education, which would enable me to continue being an independent individual.”

“I was reluctant about going to college, because I was very depressed and felt I could not handle the workload required of a full-time student. To further complicate matters, my mother was battling emphysema and was very close to death. She did not live to see me graduate, but I know she would have been proud. My sister was there for me from the beginning. When I graduated, she said, ‘You are so different now than you were at the time you were diagnosed. You were so negative then. I love who you are now’,” Chiaro said.       

Chiaro was about 30 years old when began noticing his vision was decreasing. His rapid vision loss forced him to obtain a formal education, so he could become more employable. He graduated with an overall 3.13 grade point average (GPA) from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with Bachelor of Arts degrees in Professional and Technical Writing and Psychology.

Chiaro’s degrees fell right in line with his employment opportunity at the Lighthouse for the Blind. The technical writing degree helped him in planning the equipment layout and product line, so he could streamline the inventory process. His psychology degree has enabled him to deal effectively with difficult situations and employees. It has also given him insight into working with others with disabilities and provided him skills to better cope with his own vision loss.

Chiaro is well aware of resources that are available to him. “At the beginning of my college career, my computer was already seven years old. Windows 95 was the operating system and it had no USB port. Although it did have Word, it was still technologically behind the times. I simply asked my counselor if she could help me with my problem, and a few weeks later she had a new computer for me with updated software. I was still struggling with my studies, as I had to do a lot of reading. I approached my counselor again to request accommodations. She saved me with another sophisticated technological device called a CCTV. This was my savior when it came to reading from the textbooks. I improved more than a letter grade after receiving the CCTV.”

 “I feel that I have taken full advantage of the accommodations provided by DSB and look forward to adding to my accomplishment by successfully completing my education and becoming a counselor or teacher for underprivileged children. I have always wanted to help others, and DSB has enabled me to form a strong foundation on which I can build a very satisfying career,” says Chiaro.

He strives to be a mentor to others in the visually impaired and blind community and accepts roles on panels and discussion groups to show other inviduals who are blind and visually impaired that they, too, can succeed in the academic world and work force. This summer he spoke to high school students in the Jump Start program who are blind and visually impaired, encouraging them to plan for their future and believe in themselves.

Chiaro is more than a number to DSB; he’s a success and an inspiration. DSB is privileged to recognize Chiaro for a job well done and trusts that success will continue to follow this deserving individual, who has demonstrated that with determination, blindness is not a barrier to competitive employment. Hundreds of Arkansans with a disability return to work each year after receiving vocational rehabilitation services.

DSB provides vocational rehabilitation services to individuals who are blind or severely visually impaired and whose goal is successful employment. DSB also serves youth and older blind individuals. People wanting information about DSB’s programs and services can call 1-800-960-9270 or 501-682-5463 or visit the DSB website at http://www.arkansas.gov/dhs/dsb/NEWDSB/index.htm.