Tracy Minish

Benjamin Tracy Minish is the Mission Control Center Operations Manager at Nasa. He received his B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Georgia in 1984. During his 37-year NASA career, Tracy has served as a shuttle instructor, chief of the Shuttle and International Space Station Flight Software and Recon Branch, chief of the Mission Systems Operation Branch, and is currently the Mission Control Center Operations Manager. Tracy enjoys running and has completed 31 full marathons.

Dr. Amy Bower

Amy Bower is an Oceanographer who lives on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics at Tufts University and her PHD in Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island. She was not born blind, but she lost her sight as a young adult due to Retinitis Pigmentosa. However, she was not deterred from her career goal to study and work in the scientific field. She uses adaptive technology, such as a screen magnifier, talking screen readers, and sighted assistance.

Dr. Trina Bassak

Dr. Trina Bassak is a pediatric physical therapist at AIM Home Healthcare in Colorado. She studied at the University of Scranton and later received her doctorate of physical therapy (DPT) through online schooling. She started her career in an inpatient and outpatient clinic in Pennsylvania, and in 2015, she started her home care work. Of her 27 years of experience as a physical therapist, she has been fully blind for 25 of them. Her hobbies are gardening, roller-skating, cross-country skiing, and horseback riding.

Joe Walsh

Joe Walsh, a visually-impaired athlete and native of Braintree, MA, holds degrees from Dartmouth College and UMass Amherst, and serves as President of Adaptive Sports New England. He is a two-time Paralympian in cross country skiing, and former Managing Director of Paralympics for the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC). Joe served on Team USA’s delegation staff at six Paralympic Games and as Chef de Mission at two Parapan American Games.

Joe Quintanilla

Joe Quintanilla is the Vice President of Development and Major Gifts at the National Braille Press. He earned a Bachelor's in communications from Boston College and holds a certificate in professional fundraising from Boston University. With a passion for running, Joe has completed 8 marathons and competed for the US in the 1996 Paralympics.

Mike DeZinno

Mike Dezinno was the first blind child mainstreamed into the public school system in the US. He overcame poverty while being raised in a state housing project by an immigrant single mother. He has never let blindness hold him back. Mike has been self-employed since 1973 and has had numerous successful career ventures. Mike is a gifted teacher whose greatest satisfaction in life is helping others succeed.

Sina Bahram

Sina Bahram is the president and founder of Prime Access Consulting, an inclusive design firm that aims to make knowledge, culture, and technology available to the widest possible audience. He has a Bachelor's, a Master's, and a PhD in computer science from North Carolina State University. With a passion for expanding the boundaries of interactive design and software architecture, Sina believes that inclusion is only sustainable when it's adopted at a cultural level, not just when mandated by law.

Dr. Douglas Webber

Dr. Douglas Webber, who is legally blind, is an associate professor of economics at Temple University and a senior economist on the Federal Reserve Board. He earned a Bachelor's of Science in mathematics and a Bachelor's of Arts in economic from the University of Florida as well as a Master's and PhD in economics from Cornell University. After serving on the US Census Bureau for two years, Douglas began working in academia at Temple University in 2012.

Timothy Vernon

Timothy Vernon is a customer service representative at Eversource Energy who earned his Bachelor's in communications from Fitchburg State University in 2006. He uses Braille and text-to-speech technology to provide email and phone assistance to employees and customers. In 2017, Work Without Limits recognized Tim with their Exemplary Employee of the Year Award in 2017. About this award, vice president of Customer Resources Jessica Caine said:

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