Julius Perez considers coming to work at Beyond Vision a ‘meant-to-be’ accident that saved his life. Born with congenital glaucoma, Julius was never passive. He has worked as an LPN, trained and worked as a chef and ran his own business, all while legally blind.
In 2013, Julius lost the remainder of his sight due to a medical complication that left him in a coma. Newly blind and very ill, he planned to find a nursing home to enter into hospice care. On the bus ride to meet the staff at the nursing home, he decided to give Beyond Vision a call. Not only did he find work, he found a community that knew he could succeed even when he had so many doubts in himself. He has excelled in our Assembly and Packaging Department.
A natural leader, Julius is known for his friendliness, patience, and willingness to help coworkers, friends, and anyone needing advice or a helping hand. This includes organizing fundraisers with his team. He is eager to point out, “Usually people see blind people in a position of need. The break in there is when you (as a person who is blind) can be in the position to give back and help someone else.”
Julius has been honored as our 2017 Employee of the Year, an Advocacy Representative through National Industries for the Blind, featured in a video about the AbilityOne Program and listed as an “Extraordinary Employee” by NIB. Learn more about our talented staff and how your business can benefit from our work while supporting our mission of creating employment opportunities for people who are blind.