GREENVILLE, SC (WSPA) – An emergency management student-in-training says he won’t let his severe vision problems stop him from chasing his dreams.
Jake Johnson has spent this summer interning with the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office in its Emergency Management Office.
He says he loves the work but Johnson suffers from Ocular Albinism which keeps his vision at around 20/2400.
That means something 20 feet away looks the same as it would around 2,400 feet away to someone with perfect vision.
Johnson says he will still be able to find his place in the emergency management field.
“Everyone is so flexible and used to working in much more difficult conditions than having one legally blind intern that I haven’t noticed it being a problem, which I love,” says Johnson.
“Everyone is so practical and pragmatic that if you prove that you can get something done they’re going to let you do it no matter if they thought you could or couldn’t. It just matters that you can.”
Tuesday was the final day of Johnson’s internship.
Right now, he’s getting a double major in Biology and Classics at Emory University in Atlanta.
After he graduates, he plans to get his masters and then get into the emergency management field.
