​Glaucoma began to steal my father's vision when he was young. By middle age, he was blind. In addition, two of my cousins were blind from birth. So, I grew up understanding the challenges faced by those with vision loss. 

 

I began my career as a teacher and department co-chair at a residential school for children with special needs. I worked with those children who had the most severe challenges, including visual impairments.

 

I went on to earn my PhD in Biological Psychology from The University of Chicago where I studied the neurobiology of vision. There, I realized that my research could be used to enhance the lives of visually impaired children like those with whom I worked years before. So, I began Haptic Insight as a charitable research endeavor.