TEMPLE TERRACE, Fla. — Chiropractor Dr. Michael Major was in need of an office manager, while patient Jay Forry was in need of a job. So they thought, why let the lack of eyesight get in the way?
Twenty years later, they are still working together and thriving.
Forry is often the first person patients speak with when they call to make an appointment. What he lacks in one sense, he makes up for in others.
“When I was 27 years old, I lost my sight from the diabetes,” said Forry.
Despite having a college degree and a strong work ethic, finding employment was a huge challenge.
“Just because I’m visually impaired, why won’t they give me a chance?” asked Forry.
Then by a strange twist of fate, Forry was introduced to Major Family Chiropractic in Temple Terrace.
“I was in a car accident—actually, no, no, I wasn’t driving—and I hurt my neck and my back,” said Forry.
It just so happened Dr. Michael Major was in need of an office manager.
“I kind of saw how Jay interacted with other people, so he asked me, ‘Hey, why don’t you give me the job and let’s see how this works out?’” said Major.
That’s where organizations like Lighthouse for the Blind and Low Vision bridge the gap, providing the equipment and training necessary for people like Forry to succeed.
“It’s not that people don’t want to hire someone, they just don’t know how to go about that,” said David Ferguson with Lighthouse for the Blind and Low Vision. “Having the chance to share those success stories like what Jay has goes a long way in helping those employers to see what can be done.”
Patient Gloria Walendzik didn’t even realize Jay was blind until meeting him in person.
“He’s friendly, and he’s jovial, and that kind of relaxes you right from the start,” said Walendzik.
Forry said it turned out to be the perfect job because he loves talking with people, and he gets to do it all day. Dr. Major says Forry never ceases to amaze him.
“His skillset has expanded over the course of time, and there are certain things that I guarantee you, if we would have asked him to do on an interview, he would not have been able to do," said Major. "But here he is, 20 years later, he’s doing those skills."
Forry jokes that he doesn’t know who needs who more. He hopes to be an inspiration to business owners and employers out there to give people with disabilities a chance.
