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

[Bronwen Tedesco]

Welcome to this edition of Member to Member! Today we will get to know affiliate treasurer Kobena Bonney.
Kobena grew up in Ghana, a country located in West Africa. He has four brothers and three sisters. He was not blind until later in life.

Kobena started gradually losing his sight when he was fifteen. Despite many doctors visits, the cause is unknown, and remains unknown today. By the time he was twenty, he lost the rest. He was first aware of his blindness the summer he started losing his sight. His teacher recommended he take some time off to figure out what was going on. Soon after when he was sixteen, he learned braille and orientation and mobility, and went to an integrated school, a public school that also had blind people and resources. Even at a school like that, there weren’t many blind people: usually about five out of almost a thousand. After graduating, he went to the US in 1992 for more opportunities, attending Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. He attended from 1992 to 1994, receiving a bachelor’s degree in political science and international relations. Soon after, he went to Boston University for a graduate degree in the same field, graduating in 1998. After graduating from college, he got a job at MAB, (Massachusetts Association for the Blind, now known as MABVI, Massachusetts for the Blind and visually impaired, working as an assistant technology coordinator. Then a year later, he took a position at the New Jersey Commission for the Blind as an assistive technology specialist, assessing technology needs. Then a year after that in 2001, he began working for the state’s assistive technology program getting assistive technology into the hands of people who need it but had trouble affording it, and he remains there today.

Kobena discovered the NFB through his mobility instructor in college when initially attending. When asked if he had any advice for anyone who has recently lost their eyesight or joined the NFB, he said, “It is important to assure people experiencing vision loss that it is not the end of the world. There are individuals and organizations, such as the NFB that are willing and able to help them, as well as tools, resources, and techniques that can help them adjust to their new circumstances and continue to lead successful, productive lives.”

Kobena currently lives with his wife and one of his children in Melrose, Massachusetts. In his free time, he enjoys being involved in his community, such as going to meetings like VIBUG, (visually impaired and blind users group), an assistive technology group for blind people. It has been great getting to know you, Kobena! Stay tuned for the next Member to Member!

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer and has a good week!

Sincerely,
Bronwen