Marinela Ortiz

My career path has been shaped by my personal experience with vision loss. I was diagnosed in 2001 with a rare form of retinitis pigmentosa, and initially hoped to get into marketing, but found it hard to find a job as a visually impaired person. I started using screen readers back in 2010, the same time I began at University of Central Florida for my bachelor's in Humanities with a minor in writing and rhetoric. I was hoping to become a blind services counselor, but was placed into writing because I was seen as someone who couldn't do a master's degree. After working for a while, I felt I was missing something, so I attempted getting my master's at UMass Boston. They told me I had to leave because they thought I couldn't read, despite reading in other formats, which was especially awkward since their program focused on blindness and technology for blind people. I gave myself time to heal from being so upset, then went to George Mason, my second choice college, where I felt a lot more at home. It helped me figure out what to do if we had another blind student with more than one disability to succeed. Someone at the center where I was a student noticed how good I was with technology and told me I should go into assistive technology. I did informational interviews and decided to change my path. I worked hard to get my Assistive Technology Professional Certification, which took me three times to pass. When I saw the passing score in May saying congratulations, it was such a big relief. Now I teach students how to use screen readers, email, typing programs, and help them practice their computer skills in our computer lab. I've helped so many people across the state of Florida succeed in furthering their education or finding new certifications to expand their career paths.