Customer Stories

You don’t have to see it to tee it

January 10, 2009

Ty Thompson loves to golf, play poker, and volunteer at the local elementary school helping kids to read. Did I mention he does all this despite suffering from the rare genetic disorder Pseudo Xanthma Elasticum (PXE) which has left him without any central vision and legally blind?

For much of his life, the PXE symptoms didn’t surface. Ty graduated from the University of Virginia as a Mechanical Engineer and he worked for IBM on the very first PCs in Boca Raton, Florida. Ty always felt that he was better in sales and marketing so he transitioned to the sales department with IBM and moved to Chicago. Here he became the lead sales rep for Walgreens, the largest pharmacy chain in the US. It was through this job that Ty developed a system for in-store signage and shelf pricing labels which was adopted by over 90% of retailers in a few short years! He then transferred to Lexington, Kentucky to work at implementing new ways of selling printing technology for IBM which became Lexmark. He developed the idea of laser printing pharmacy vial labels and warning labels and combining that with drug utilization and patient information sheets. Today 100% of pharmacies utilize laser printers – mostly due to Ty’s idea!

Ty spent much of his time thinking about how to improve processes using technology to become more efficient and of financial benefit to the users. In the mid 1990s, he lost depth perception in one of his eyes. Ty didn’t lose hope and taught himself to triangulate his world with one eye to give himself a better sense of depth. Because of this he could continue driving.

Several years later, he was offered the position of national sales manager for a pharmacy software company and he was with this company for several years when he suddenly lost his vision in the other eye. This is when Ty discovered ZoomText which helped him to keep up with his work on the computer. “ZoomText is a wonderful product,” said Ty. “My software background really helped me quickly become adept at using it to help me email and search on the web.”

He tried diligently to continue on his path but the realization soon set in that as he lost more and more sight, he truly was unable to perform in his role – he could no longer recognize customers or prospects, demonstrate the software, couldn’t drive to see clients – and went on disability.

Life turned upside down for Ty and his wife, Jan. Jan had been working part time in the medical field for years, where she taught classes in medical school. She switched gears and is enrolled in a master’s degree program to become a Physician’s Assistant. Ty on the other hand, learned how to wash clothes and cook for his wife and daughter, Alex.

Life changed drastically for Ty and his family but his spirits are very high. He frequently speaks to the elderly who are afflicted with vision loss at local forums. He designed the ADAPT (Attitude, Design, Apply, Practice, and Try, try again) methodology for the visually impaired to assist them in living their lives again.

“The mind is the most powerful tool to ‘see’ with,” says Ty. “I teach people to think differently and also introduce them to ZoomText, a program that many people don’t know even exists. With a little training, they can realize the potential of the software and are then unafraid to go online or type an email because they now have a way to accomplish tasks on the computer.”

In addition, Ty joined the US Blind Golf Association (USBGA) and recently won the 2008 Net National Championship! He had become a good short game player and feels he can read the green with his feet better than many people can see with their eyes. This league has the same rules as for professionals except you’re allowed a coach in addition to the caddy to give you strategic advice, line you up and tell you where the ball goes. The coach can stand behind you for any shot to give you visual feedback on the ball. As Ty says, “You don’t have to see it to tee it.”

Ty also plays in a couple’s poker league where he uses cards that have larger characters. This way he can sometimes make them out in his peripheral vision and memorizes all the cards on the table once they are read to him. He also loves to help elementary kids with their reading. He takes them to the library where they check out a book. He takes a better reader with him first so that they can read the book aloud to him and he assists them with their pronunciation. He then memorizes the trouble spots of the entire story and can help the students who have more trouble reading. “You don’t have to see it to teach it,” declares Ty.

Ty had been writing a book on English Ceramics that were imported into the United States during the time period of 1820 to 1860 called spatterware. He had researched this topic for over a decade but his research is temporarily on hold because he cannot read the notes or antique reference books. All of us here at Ai Squared wish Ty well and hope that he can one day finish and publish the book!