“Interconnected. Everyone is interconnected, whether sighted or blind.” This is one of the mottos that Frankie Ann Marcil, vision rehabilitation specialist and orientation and mobility coach, lives by and teaches her students.
Frankie Anne believes that everyone is dependent on others in some way. She encourages her students to think about what they want to do independently and where they could use help.
“We all depend on each other whether we are sighted or blind,” she says. “You have to determine what you need help from others with and what you can do yourself.”
For example, if someone had not cooked before losing their sight, they may not be interested in learning how to prepare a piece of fish. However, learning to use the microwave, read package directions, and complete other daily tasks may be valuable skills after vision loss.
Growing up with support and high expectations
Frankie Ann credits her classroom teachers and Teachers of the Visually Impaired (TVIs) with helping her succeed academically. I attended small Catholic schools for both primary and secondary levels.
Her teachers worked with her to identify effective accommodations while also holding her accountable for the same classwork responsibilities as her peers. Their support helped build her skills and confidence.
The value of family support
“My family always lets me try things,” Frankie Ann says.
This encouragement helped her discover what she enjoyed and what she didn’t enjoy. Football wasn’t for her, but dancing soon became her passion.
As a student and then dance instructor, Frankie Ann learned how to adapt based on her visual needs. Instead of having several dancers perform at once, she often worked with one student at a time. This allowed her to focus visually on each dancer and provide individual feedback.
While many dance classes rely on small groups performing together, Frankie Ann has found a teaching style that has worked well for her and her students.
Navigating the transition to college
Throughout elementary and high school, Frankie Ann was surrounded by classmates who knew her well and rarely viewed her poor eyesight as something that made her different. As a result, she rarely had to explain her vision or answer questions about it.
Living in a college dorm exposed her to a completely new environment. She also realized how many comforts her family had naturally provided over the years by helping her notice things she might not have seen otherwise.
For the first time, she had to know if, when and how to ask for help.
Build confidence through experience
Frankie Ann has learned many important lessons through her experience as a visually impaired person.
She suffers from septal optic dysplasia, which limits her visual field and distance vision. She also suffers from night blindness.
When I arrived at the college, some students made comments about its enlarged edition and other amenities. At that time, you had not yet developed strategies for responding to negative feedback. She was concerned about how speaking out loud would affect friendships and social relationships.
Looking back, she realizes that she often put unnecessary pressure on herself by believing she had to do everything independently.
Simple actions, such as asking a friend to walk a new route with her or asking for help when traveling at night, can reduce stress and make situations easier to navigate.
Today, her view is different.
“I feel more comfortable as a visually impaired person,” she says. “I am proud to consider myself visually impaired. I have learned to ask for help when necessary.”
Learn to adapt through dance
Through practice and repetition, she learned techniques that helped her maintain her position and orientation during performances. Her dance teachers worked constantly with her to identify strategies that supported her success.
Just as importantly, they never questioned whether a visually impaired student deserved to dance.
Frankie Ann learned to position herself where she could maximize the vision she had remaining, both as a dancer and as a teacher. These adjustments helped her continue doing something she loves.
Turn experience into a career
A career in vision rehabilitation, orientation and mobility therapy has come into stronger focus during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’ve been doing vision rehabilitation therapy jobs as a summer job since about the age of 16,” says Frankie Ann. “Work in various residential and online programs.”
When many activities stopped during the pandemic, she decided to return to school and continue her studies.
“Everything else stopped. Going back to school gave me something to do, and I loved it.”
Training that opens the door to employment
As part of her master’s degree program, Frankie Ann completed internships in both vision and orientation and mobility rehabilitation therapy.
She completed her internship at VISIONS Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and was fortunate to remain with the organization after graduation.
Today she works with both young people and adults in their homes and at the VISIONS residential centre, helping people build skills, confidence and independence.
Combining qualification, writing and marketing
In addition to her work in rehabilitation, Frankie Ann has also been able to use another passion: writing.
Recognizing her talents in writing and social media, VISIONS invited her to contribute to the organization’s online presence. They help create short videos and social media content that connect with audiences and share information about services and programs.
She lives her message every day
Whether she’s teaching daily living skills, providing orientation and mobility instruction, creating content for social media, or encouraging others to advocate for themselves, Frankie Anne continues to live out her belief in interdependence.
Her journey shows that success doesn’t mean doing everything alone. Instead, it means understanding your strengths, knowing when to ask for support, and building meaningful connections with others along the way.
Learn more about Frankie Anne
To hear more of Frankie Ann’s thoughts and learn about her work as a vision rehabilitation therapist, orientation and mobility coach, and marketing specialist, listen to this Career Conversations episode featuring Frankie Anne Marcil.
You can also visit Frankie Ann Marcille’s website and follow her on Instagram: @frankieannwrites.
