SEE US

SEE US follows six diverse and visually impaired young adults, Kaitlyn, Aolani, Karla, Alex, Jayden, and Lassana as they navigate growing up and acclimating themselves to following their desired career paths. This photo book captures moments in their lives as they work as interns through the summer and fall of 2019. Each of them is participating in the Career Discovery Project, a unique internship program that allows visually impaired students to gain work experiences that match their career aspirations The intimate photos are accompanied by quotes, and excerpts of their stories, giving readers insight into the lives, experiences, and feelings. What readers will find in common across all six participants is their determination, perseverance, and tenacity to accomplish their goals and not be held back by their impairment.

SEE US follows six diverse and visually impaired young adults, Kaitlyn, Aolani, Karla, Alex, Jayden, and Lassana, as they navigate growing up and acclimating themselves to following their desired career paths. This photo book captures moments in their lives as they work as interns through the summer and fall of 2019. Each of them is participating in the Career Discovery Project, a unique internship program that allows visually impaired students to gain work experiences that match their career aspirations The intimate photos are accompanied by quotes, and excerpts of their stories, giving readers insight into the lives, experiences, and feelings. What readers will find in common across all six participants is their determination, perseverance, and tenacity to accomplish their goals and not be held back by their impairment. Kaitlyn, The Independent Spirit - Kaitlyn's goal is a career in health care. Aolani, The Creator - is a young and talented digital artist with an eye on a career in this field. Karla, The Activist - one of the more experienced interns in the Career Discovery Project, spent her summer assisting senior citizens in applying for American Citizenship. A social activist by heart, Karla plans to seek a career in Immigration Law. Alex, The Underdog - was a recent college graduate when he started his internship with the Career Discovery Project. He is a fast learner yet is often underestimated. He has already secured a permanent full-time job working in a museum. Jayden, The Dancer - danced his way into the hearts of his co-workers and even taught ballet classes to younger students. Highly confident in his abilities, this multi-talented young man is on a clear path to accomplish any goal he sets his sights on. Lassana, The Ball Player - is getting a second chance at success after his days of playing basketball were cut short due to losing some of his vision. He's determined to stay connected to the sport and desires to work in sports media.

Jon Marin has worked with the blind and visually impaired for over ten years. He has developed a passion for supporting, encouraging, and developing robust professional skills and experiences for blind and visually impaired high school and college students during this time. As Director for the Career Discovery Project, Jonathan has used his platform, a year-round, grant-funded program, to open doors for internship opportunities that they would not otherwise have access to. A passion turned to purpose led Jon to the idea of creating a photography book, which highlights the lives of some of the students he has worked with. He wants to exhibit to the world that the blind and visually impaired can be as productive, effective, and impactful as any other individual not affected by the impairment. However, he also strives to influence social change so that employers view this demographic of people as valuable assets to their organizations. The segregation in the types of job opportunities presented to the blind and visually impaired is astonishing and limiting to the potential of these young and talented people. Jon chose a photo book to display the beauty in the passion, tenacity, and desire of each of these blind and visually impaired students to be accepted and seen simply as a human being. SEE US sends a message to the world to open their eyes and see these individuals for their strength, talents, abilities, and hearts. Jon continues to work tirelessly and creatively to increase the internship and job opportunities for the blind and visually impaired students he serves. Under his leadership, the CDP has grown from six participating cultural institutions in 2014 to over thirty participating institutions in 2019. More than one hundred students have participated in the CDP program, and that number continues to grow. The success of the program and students has resulted in the institutions seeking quality interns directly from CDP. Jon has been honored as a NY Media 40/40 Rising Stars for Non-Profits. He humbly appreciates this honor and is committed to raising awareness on the need to create gainful and meaningful employment opportunities across many industries for the blind and visually impaired.