Visually impaired Saugus man honored for contributions to workplace

SAUGUS – Take a moment to imagine how much more difficult your job would be if you were visually impaired.The feat seems challenging, if not impossible, for most people.But not for Glenn Boivin, a Saugus resident who didn?t let his impairment stop him from landing his dream job.Boivin was one of five people honored by the Carroll Center for the Blind and the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind at the 2011 Carroll Awards ceremony held Friday, June 3.The Carroll Awards recognize blind and visually impaired people who have made significant contributions to the workplace. According to the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind, 70 percent of the state?s blind and visually impaired people of working age are unemployed, despite their talent and skills.?It means a tremendous amount because I already know the effort it takes to get through every day, but to get the award is acknowledgment that someone else recognizes the effort too,” Boivin said.He added that the Carroll Awards have been given annually since 1983.?That?s what made the award so important to me. To be part of a group of people like that who have overcome obstacles and accomplished so many incredible things. It?s amazing,” he said.Boivin has suffered from serious eye problems since he was 10 years old, but two years ago he received an additional diagnosis – Retinitis Pigmentosa – after noticing that his vision was getting worse in low-light situations.?Basically I was told that over the next 10 to 20 years my vision will get increasing worse and will result in complete blindness,” Boivin explained. “So in January of 2009 I went to an orientation at the Carroll Center because I had been struggling with visual impairment and the additional diagnosis, and I was just in a pretty low spot.”Boivin then completed a 12-week program at the Carroll Center that taught him how to complete certain tasks and introduced him to new technology. Boivin found his job as the IT operations manager at the Chelsea headquarters of Kayem Foods, Inc. soon after, and the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind supplied him with a closed circuit TV, adaptive scanner and text reading software.Though the adaptive resources have enabled Boivin to work independently, he still faces challenges in the workplace that he must overcome on a daily basis.?The biggest challenge is recognizing people?s faces. I?ll pass people in the hallway or they?ll come into my office and unless they have a specific body shape or type it can be difficult for me to tell who it is,” Boivin said. “In meetings when there are presentations or documents being passed around it can be difficult to follow along too, but everyone understands my situation and they?re always ready to lend a hand, or as I say, let me borrow their eyes.”According to Boivin, the “coolest” thing to come out of his involvement with the Carroll Center is learning how to sail.In 2009 he began sailing on Saturday mornings with the Carroll Center?s Sail Blind program at Courageous Sailing in Charlestown. He was invited to join the Carroll Center for the Blind?s competitive sailing team shortly after, which raced in Newport, R.I. “It?s national, so there?s blind sailors from all over the country and it was just a tremendous experience. I always wanted to learn how to sail, so it?s fantastic,” Boivin said.Boivin and his wife, Barbie, have two sons, Nick and Matt, two daughter-in-laws, Kristin and Heather, and a granddaughter, Skyla.?I want other people in similar situations to understand that although you can?t do things the same way as other people, you can still be productive and find other ways to do it,” Boivin said. “It?s affirmed my belief in what I can do and I hope I can be an inspiration or mentor to someone else.”