Legally blind call-taker marks 20 years at Canberra Access office
Brian Connolly, legally blind for 20 years, is about to celebrate 20 years helping residents at Access Canberra using a screen reader.
Connolly was told at 23 he would eventually go blind from cone-rod dystrophy. Brian lost his peripheral vision, then most of his sight.
At a low point years later, he applied for a call-centre role at 3am and got the job. Now 49, he uses JAWS screen reader software to hear what appears on his computer while taking calls.
He takes particular care with elderly callers who struggle with technology, especially those needing help with births, deaths, marriages and car registration. His message for World Sight Day on October 8: ask if someone needs help rather than assuming they do.
"Everything else works, I just can't see," he says.
- 20
- Years at Access Canberra
- 49
- Current age
- 20
- Age when vision loss started
- 23
- Age diagnosed legally blind
Why it mattersHis story shows people with serious disabilities can hold steady jobs, help others, and build meaningful careers over decades.
AustraliaAn Australian government worker demonstrates that disability employment is real and rewarding, challenging assumptions about what blind people can do.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 3 h ago
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