[Massachusetts-NFB] Member to Member - Getting to Know Each Other

[Bronwen Tedesco]

Welcome to our next edition of *Member to Member! Today we will get to know
Liz Lesperance, current president of the Massachusetts At Large Chapter.
Liz has lived in Massachusetts all her life, growing up mainly in Holden, a
rural part of central Massachusetts. She has two brothers and grew up as
the middle child. When she was eight, she was diagnosed with cone rod
dystrophy, a condition similar to macular degeneration. Her older brother
also shares this condition. When reflecting on accepting her blindness as a
child, she said, “I realized there was something different about me when I
was in fourth grade. I was getting giant books and everyone else was
getting a normal size.”*



*Liz attended public school her entire childhood. She expressed that she
wished that she attended a school for the blind in high school because she
was not learning all the skills she needed and that it was challenging to
make new friends. She graduated high school in 2002 where she then went
onto major in history at UMass Lowell graduating in 2005 then attended
Worcester State College to receive her license in teaching. Struggling to
find a teaching job, she began working at Safety Insurance in 2007 where
she started as a claims examiner  then in 2019, furthered her education at
Suffolk University located in Boston, receiving a master’s degree in
business administration, hoping to work her way up in the company. In 2022,
she was promoted to the Senior Customer Relationship Analyst position.*



*Liz discovered the NFB when she was on YouTube. She became interested in
joining the NFB saying, “It was great to be around people who are visually
impaired and learn new tips and tricks.” She attended her first national
convention in 2017, and participated in several afterward. She has been
involved in the Massachusetts Blind Parents Division and At Large Chapter,
and is currently the At Large Chapter president. Liz currently lives in
Fitchburg with her husband Chris, 11-year-old son Clark, and her yellow lab
guide dog Sylvia. She enjoys reading, running, fashion, and cooking. When
asked if she had any advice for anyone joining the NFB or losing their
vision later on in life, she said, “Stay positive. It is ok to have down
days, but don’t forget that nearly anything can be accomplished without
eyesight. Technology is constantly revolutionizing how we all do things and
making our lives better.” It’s been great getting to know you, Liz and stay
tuned for our next Member to Member!*


*Sincerely,*

*Bronwen*
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