An Open Door: Creating Opportunities With a Newfound Disability

Meet Jerome Hale Jr., a dedicated father, husband, and community champion. As a certified orientation mobility specialist, Jerome helps visually impaired individuals across the state. Living with Stargardt’s disease, which gradually deteriorates his retinas, he decided to turn his disability into an opportunity to create a business and help others. With support from the DES Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Program, Jerome founded Hale’s Orientation and Mobility, to help others like him achieve independence.

“I'm Jerome Hale Junior and I am a certified orientation mobility specialist. And I'm also the owner and operator of Hale's Orientation and Mobility. I have what's called Stargardt. Stargardt is a visual impairment that affects your retinas. So my retinas are slowly deteriorating over time.

I didn't realize that I was visually impaired until I was 31 years old. Having that visual impairment led me to get some services from the state. To get into vocational rehab. And then once I received those services, it showed me the vast, world of the visual impairment, field, if you will. And the people in that field just inspired me so much that it was instantaneous. The love that I felt that I wanted to actually work in that environment, in that field. And so now, what I thought was a disability is actually something I really believe that God gave me from birth to just kind of get me ready to be able to help so many other people like myself,

I receive the adult, comprehensive services. I receive those services at the Foundation on Blind Children. So I was taught everything from orientation, mobility. That's what I fell in love. I was taught, some computer assistive technology skills. I was taught braille. I was taught adjustment to disability. I was even taught, like, some job placement skills, like the whole comprehensive ball of wax. So what I'm doing now is I'm now a certified orientation mobility specialist. So when I while I was once and I'm still partially, a client for vocational rehab, I am now a vendor for vocational rehab. And so now my company, Hale’s Orientation and Mobility go around the valley we help any and everybody that's like me.

And so orientation mobility is, I like the title of it, as you know, using whatever residual vision that you have and all your other senses to be able to travel effectively, independently and efficiently from point A to point B. And so for a layman's, it's like if you ever seen someone with a cane, a white cane, or someone with the guide, I'm typically the guy behind the scenes who taught that person how to use the cane or how to navigate with the guide dog to get from point A to point B. Then is now is just teaching them how they can be independent. Because most people, when they lose their vision, the first thing they think is their independence is going to suffer. I'm going to always need someone. I'm always we need to hold someone hand or things like that. So getting them comfortable, that and reiterating the things that that most of them have done their whole life but now they to do it differently.

I remember one of the toughest things for me is when my vision took that decrease, is that I felt that my value took a hit as well. I remember when my wife, my son and I, we always would go travel. We would always go to new cities. And I remember being a guy that would have all the luggage and say, okay, let's go, follow me. We're going to this terminal and that. But then when my vision decreased. Now I'm in the role of following my wife, following my son, because maybe I just can't see those things. And so when I'm able to sit with a man who feels like they don't have as much value or they can't be the leader of their home anymore just because their vision loss, that sticks out to me. And that's what just makes me want to do it more and more, because you realize you're not just helping that man, you're helping that family, which in turn is helping that community and just so on and so on.

I tell people all the time, I don't have to go to work. I get to go to work. And working with the state, themselves, I mean, even not just my clients, but the people behind the scenes at the state. A lot of them are visually impaired as well. And so just get the bounce ideas off of them and just be able to work with different professionals from different walks of life.

I guess the biggest thing is to be patient. Anytime you're dealing with services, whether it be state, government or any type of level, there's a lot of people behind the scenes and a lot of moving parts, and they all have your best interests at heart, and they all want to help you. But it does take time. You're not going to learn how to do this overnight. You're not going to learn how to essentially be visually impaired or blind. Things take time. just give people grace as well as pack your patience. That would be my biggest advice to anyone.”

The DES Vocational Rehabilitation Program provides a variety of services to persons with disabilities, with the ultimate goal to prepare for, enter into, or retain employment. Learn more about how the VR Program can assist individuals with vision loss.