I am about to turn 38 and have been vision impaired since the age of 10 when I developed retinal detachments in both eyes. There was no reason for the retinal detachments – just one of those things. I only have light perception now and this has been the case for over 12 years. 
I grew up in country NSW on a farm near a little town called Boggabri. I am one of four children, but none of my siblings have any eye conditions.
I was dux of my high school in 1995 and ended up receiving the highest Tertiary Entrance Rank of 94.5 (the old term for university entrance) for my local town and surrounding region. This led to a number of awards from my local community, which really boosted by self-esteem and a never-say-never attitude.
University was a huge step for me as I moved away from home, and meant I had to start using a white cane as mobility in a new environment. This was a real challenge, but one I soon overcome.
I completed a Bachelor of Commerce and was then determined to pursue a graduate career with a large corporate in Sydney. My family’s support was critical here, and they had their fears about me moving to Sydney, but they provided all the support needed to help me pursue my dreams. I was fortunate in that I managed to be part of one of the major bank’s Graduate intakes in the year 2000. It was a big step moving from the relatively quiet life of a regional town but I managed this transition and ultimately spent a couple of great years in Sydney.
I am now a senior lecturer at the University of New England Business School. I was working full-time up until 2015 when I chose to reduce to part-time work after returning from having my third child. I think my blindness has also helped educate my colleagues about how to encourage diversity and inclusion in education. Technology is also very helpful in that it enables me to perform my teaching and research responsibilities at UNE.
I am married to Joel and I am the mother of three beautiful daughters – Sophia, 8, Grace, 6, and Amelia almost two. My eye condition is not hereditary and so all my children have regular vision.
My daughters understood quite early on that “Mummy is blind”, but I have been determined to prove that a disability is no barrier or excuse in life. After the birth of my first daughter I remember the local early childhood nurse coming to visit me at home (standard practice for new mums) and she asked many questions about how I would cope. She ended up visiting regularly in order to monitor my baby’s progress and I guess monitor how I was coping. She admitted later that I dispelled many of her misconceptions or concerns about being a blind mother. I learnt to change nappies, feed my baby and generally care for her like any other sighted mother.
I joined the Vision Australia Board in 2007. I have enjoyed contributing to, and witnessing the critical role, an organisation like Vision Australia has in helping improve the lives of people who are blind or have low vision. I hope that my role on the Board is also a means of demonstrating to others in the blindness community that it is possible to succeed in both life and career. It is not always easy, but if given the right supports, and the personal drive and passion to overcome those knocks in life, the opportunities are broad.
Theresa is Vision Australia's deputy board chair
I grew up in country NSW on a farm near a little town called Boggabri. I am one of four children, but none of my siblings have any eye conditions.
I was dux of my high school in 1995 and ended up receiving the highest Tertiary Entrance Rank of 94.5 (the old term for university entrance) for my local town and surrounding region. This led to a number of awards from my local community, which really boosted by self-esteem and a never-say-never attitude.
University was a huge step for me as I moved away from home, and meant I had to start using a white cane as mobility in a new environment. This was a real challenge, but one I soon overcome.
I completed a Bachelor of Commerce and was then determined to pursue a graduate career with a large corporate in Sydney. My family’s support was critical here, and they had their fears about me moving to Sydney, but they provided all the support needed to help me pursue my dreams. I was fortunate in that I managed to be part of one of the major bank’s Graduate intakes in the year 2000. It was a big step moving from the relatively quiet life of a regional town but I managed this transition and ultimately spent a couple of great years in Sydney.
I am now a senior lecturer at the University of New England Business School. I was working full-time up until 2015 when I chose to reduce to part-time work after returning from having my third child. I think my blindness has also helped educate my colleagues about how to encourage diversity and inclusion in education. Technology is also very helpful in that it enables me to perform my teaching and research responsibilities at UNE.
I am married to Joel and I am the mother of three beautiful daughters – Sophia, 8, Grace, 6, and Amelia almost two. My eye condition is not hereditary and so all my children have regular vision.
My daughters understood quite early on that “Mummy is blind”, but I have been determined to prove that a disability is no barrier or excuse in life. After the birth of my first daughter I remember the local early childhood nurse coming to visit me at home (standard practice for new mums) and she asked many questions about how I would cope. She ended up visiting regularly in order to monitor my baby’s progress and I guess monitor how I was coping. She admitted later that I dispelled many of her misconceptions or concerns about being a blind mother. I learnt to change nappies, feed my baby and generally care for her like any other sighted mother.
I joined the Vision Australia Board in 2007. I have enjoyed contributing to, and witnessing the critical role, an organisation like Vision Australia has in helping improve the lives of people who are blind or have low vision. I hope that my role on the Board is also a means of demonstrating to others in the blindness community that it is possible to succeed in both life and career. It is not always easy, but if given the right supports, and the personal drive and passion to overcome those knocks in life, the opportunities are broad.
Theresa is Vision Australia's deputy board chair