Understanding People Coping With Vision Loss: The Story of OrCam Trainer Stan Mosser

“Who are you to tell me about coping with vision loss!!!???”

It was at a workshop in Rugby, North Dakota where OrCam trainer, Stan Mosser received this question from a visually impaired audience member. It was the first time Stan realized he could not continue to present and speak publicly to the visually impaired community without sharing his own personal story about coping with vision loss. Although he can see fully now, it is important for his audience to know that he can empathize with their struggles because he has been in their shoes.

A blow to the head during a horse accident caused 13 year old Stan to develop cataracts. After undergoing surgery, Stan developed secondary glaucoma. He was treated with shots to freeze his eyes to release the pressure which ultimately was the cause of his vision loss over the next thirteen years of his life.

While losing his vision, Stan went to school using a tape recorder to help him in coping with vision loss. A week before his graduation, he received a call from his doctor about an experimental surgery he wanted Stan to try. The surgery was successful and Stan thankfully regained his vision.

Born and raised in North Dakota, Stan still resides there and devotes his time to helping low vision patients across the state with coping with their vision loss. With a master’s degree in Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired, Stan has been training patients of all ages, for over 25 years, in assistive equipment as well as speaking with patients about support groups and family adjustment.

In the past two and a half years that Stan has been working with OrCam, he has trained many people, coping with vision loss, how to use OrCam’s devices. He recalls one particular user who was blind from birth and about to attend college. Stan took the user around campus to see what he can do with the OrCam device. During the demo, the user bumped into a cabinet. Stan took this as an opportunity to change the mood of the incident and told the user to use the OrCam device to read the text that was written on the cabinet. The user was amazed when the OrCam device began to read to him. This user continued to be shocked by the OrCam device when he was able to read the information written on the door of an office- something he always wished he could do. When the Orcam device read “Room 102, Administration, and the names of the 4 people that worked in the office”  his response to Stan was “this is like I can see.” A couple weeks after the demo, Stan called the user to ask how things were going with the OrCam device to which he responded “I’m doing something I never did in my life. I’m sitting at Grandma’s table reading a book”

Stan has trained users ranging from 22-94 years old. After losing her vision, one user told Stan that she uses the OrCam device’s speaker to read books aloud together with her grandkids. She is thankful the OrCam device allows her this experience.

Stan believes that the OrCam device is a “unique piece of equipment” and says that if the OrCam device had been around when he was coping with vision loss, it would have made his life so much easier. This is one of the reasons he is so passionate about OrCam. Thankfully, Stan got his vision back but he devotes his life to helping others who are not as fortunate and he believes that the OrCam device can make his patients’ lives easier and help them a lot while they are coping with vision loss.

Stan Mosser has been providing low-vision evaluations, equipment, and training to low-vision patients of all ages for over 25 years.

 He has been an OrCam Trainer for the past two and a half years. Stan has an M.A. in Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired.