“I grew up with a father who was totally blind, so I was familiar to blindness growing up,” shared Nick Nathan, CNC Machinist I Aerospace at The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc. “I had his cancer, which is retinoblastoma. And it attacks the retinas of your eyes. So, my left eye is totally prosthetic. They were able to save some of my right eye, but most of the vision is gone,” he shares.
Facing Life’s Challenges
Having grown up with a father who was blind, Nick never doubted that people who are blind could work. However, before joining the Lighthouse, Nick faced several challenges. “Before I started at the Lighthouse, I didn’t really know what I was doing in life,” he admits. “I got to the point in my life where I wondered what I was going to do. And so, working here means a lot to me, because they were able to give me an answer to that question.”
Becoming a Machinist
“The Lighthouse has stood by me and not only watched me grow my machining skills, but also helped me grow as a human being,” he shares.
Nick has been a part of the Lighthouse for seven years. He began his journey in the deburring department and quickly progressed from there. Nick is now a CNC Machinist I Aerospace.
As Nick describes, “What I do on my job all day is touch off tools, meaning not only do I build my own cutters, but I manually set them, and I place all of my material onto my table, and I check my material. I set up a job from start to finish, purely 100% independently.”
“They built me up into having a career. I have a family and I’ve gotten married. It’s changed my whole life,” Nick says.
Community and Support
What Nick enjoys most about working at the Lighthouse is the people. Initially, he didn’t want to be involved in the blind community, but now, most of his life revolves around it.
“I like the people here. It’s just an amazing group of people,” Nick shares.
At the end of each day, Nick is filled with a sense of empowerment knowing he has provided for himself and his family. ” When I walk out the door and down to the bus stop on my own, I feel empowered and independent that I was able to provide for myself and my family,” Nick concludes.
