"I don’t have to justify what I am capable of, because people here just get me. I don’t have to take on the role of ‘the blind person.’ I blend and fit right in, and everyone accepts me for who I am.”
Jenny Wood is an Envision Dallas employee in our Interface Call Center Department as a Call Center Campaign Representative. She has been with Envision Dallas for almost two years. Diagnosed with a hereditary retinal condition called Familial Exudative Vitreoretinopathy, Wood could only see bright light by the age of 13. A couple of years later, she became totally blind.
Now, Wood is a wife and a mother of two kids, one boy and one girl. Through online Facebook support groups for people who are blind or visually impaired, Jenny learned about Envision Dallas.
“I had taken a career break to raise my kids, but I was ready to work again. An employee from Envision Dallas had posted in a Facebook group about an open position in the Interface Call Center. I had also met a few people virtually through this group that I had been getting to know for a while, who worked in manufacturing at Envision Dallas and had been urging me to apply. I finally did! It seemed that the universe really wanted me to work for Envision Dallas,” said Wood.
Prior to working for Envision Dallas, Wood worked at an internet service provider doing quality control and internet technical support for 7 years. “After I left this job to raise my kids, it was quite difficult to job search. Let alone that I am a woman and a mother, also having a disability made it very hard for me to be given a chance, as many don’t want to accommodate or take the time to listen to what I am capable of. That’s why I am so glad I found Envision Dallas,” said Wood.
When asked why she stays with Envision Dallas, she replied, “I would say the sense of community and family. I really appreciate the connections and friends I have made, and it makes my job worth every hard minute. It’s the sense of belonging that really fulfills me. I don’t have to justify what I am capable of, because people here just get me. I don’t have to take on the role of ‘the blind person.’ I blend and fit right in, and everyone accepts me for who I am.”
Wood loves her coworkers and the place she works, and that support goes both ways. Heather Moore, Director of Call Center Services and Wood’s boss, praises her for always going above and beyond for her coworkers as well as the customers she works with.
“When our program changed to a new Content Management System, Jenny spent hours making JAWS (a screen reader software) training guides for the rest of her coworkers on how to navigate and add content with the new system layout. She still continues to update these any time a new update is rolled out. She will never shy away from a challenge and is always looking to learn and grow and share that with others as well," said Moore.
Jenny is the 2023 National Industries for the Blind Milton. J Samuelson Indirect Labor Career Achievement Award winner for Envision Dallas. She is also currently going to school online for her CPACC Certification (Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies) and is planning to get her Assistive Technology Instructor Certification soon after.
“I love technology and I love to teach. I am excited to see where my path leads, and I am proud to be where I am.”
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