OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - Mark Ivy has a hereditary eye disease called Retinitis Pigmentosa. When he was a teenager, he started to lose his night vision.
"It goes night vision, then [you lose] your peripheral,” said Ivy.
At 35-years-old his visual field has drastically narrowed.
“I tell folks, it's like looking through paper towel rolls,” said Ivy. “There was a time where I woke up without a purpose and no pun intended, but that gets dark."
Ivy’s one of nearly 150 adults employed at NewView Oklahoma who are blind or low vision.
"All it takes is some modifications to do the exact same thing sighted folks are doing,” said Ivy.
According to the Big Data Project, only 41.5% of working age Oklahomans with these disabilities are employed, and 62.6% earn less than $35,000 a year.
"The more people that get to know about NewView…That’s how we start breaking into that nasty unemployment rate,” said Ivy.
So he gave KFOR a behind the scenes look at some of their meaningful work crafting aircraft wheel chocks, cargo nets and vinyl sheets and curtains.
"All the machinery is modified for us to use,” said Laquana Sango, a crew member.
Crew members also pack first aid and hygiene kits, assemble fire hoses and work on signs for Sonic.
The organization is an inspiration and a challenge to anyone who thinks vision loss can’t be overcome.
“Reach out and go find something to get your independence back, because once you do it, your life starts again,” said Ivy.
