My name is Josh, and I am a person with albinism. I was born in Brooklyn, New York, in March of 1986 and have been coping with albinism and “blindness” for my entire life.
By trade, I am an IT Professional with over 15 years experience in non-profits, small to medium businesses, and large enterprises. By aspiration, I am a photographer specializing in scenery and nature shoots. Although it’s more of a hobby now, I would definitely love to turn my work into something more lucrative.
As a child I was diagnosed with oculocutaneous albinism, which affects the pigmentation in my skin, hair, and eyes. It also affects my vision. As a result, I am legally blind. I have vision, but I am at the minimum defined by the state of New York to be declared legally blind.
For more information on the different variants of albinism, visit NOAH – the National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation.
About Nine to Freedom
As someone with a visual impairment and albinism, obtaining my driver’s license made me a part of a very small subgroup. I then realized that I was extremely fortunate to gain this newfound independence. This success is one that I will never, ever take for granted.
I called this blog Nine to Freedom, because US-9 was the road that I had my first bioptic driving lessons on. Those fateful lessons took place in the town of Wappingers Falls, New York. US-9 will be a recurring theme in this blog.
My first long distance drive was from Peekskill, New York, in Westchester County to my house in Brooklyn. It was one drive I would never forget.