The thrill of seeing someone improve their quality of life from something as simple as trying a new sport has kept Maurice Gleeson OAM in his job for 39 years.
The CEO of Blind Sports and Recreation Victoria is this week’s special guest on Vision Australia Radio’s Talking Vision.
Speaking to host Sam Colley, Maurice said he was able to come to terms with his vision loss by helping others in similar situations.
Photo: Maurice Geeson OAM.
“Coming from a working-class background I could see the injustice people had to endure who perhaps didn’t know how to advocate for themselves,” he said.
“I wanted to help develop a fairer community and a fairer way of life for people with or without a disability.”
He went on to become a social worker and was a trailblazer in creating opportunities for blind and low vision sportsmen and women.
Recently Maurice was awarded a lifetime achievement award, the highest accolade at the 2021 Victorian Disability Awards for his contributions to the blind and low vision community.
“I’m very fortunate to have worked in this field and met so many wonderful people,” he said of the award.”
Currently he is focused on bringing more sporting opportunities to people in rural communities, and branching out into the arts and culture sector of recreation to broaden the offerings for the blind and low vision community.
Listen to Maurice’s full interview in the player below:
Talking Vision is a weekly discussion of issues relating to blindness and low vision.
It includes stories of inspiration and achievement and information on services for the community.
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