A world where everyone with a disability is gainfully employed, that is the vision of Mike Hess, founder of the Blind Institute of Technology.
Mike first learned about his vision loss in first grade during a school eye exam. When he was unable to see the balloons on the chart, he was referred to the Cleveland Clinic, where he was diagnosed with macular degeneration and told he would likely lose his vision by age 18. At the time, he didn’t fully understand what that meant, only what his mother told him: “It just means you’re going to be special, son.”
Mike later found his path in technology while attending community college in Denver, where he participated in a computer training program for people with disabilities. He went on to work for several Fortune 500 companies, where he began to recognize the disability community as a largely untapped talent pool.
This realization ultimately led him to found the Blind Institute of Technology, an organization dedicated to connecting talented individuals with disabilities to meaningful careers in tech.
Join us as we get to know Mike, explore his educational journey, and hear the story behind the founding of BIT and the impact it continues to make today.
As Mike said in the episode, “Let’s open up more doors for this amazing talent pool.”
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Interviewer: Khayree Lofton
Edited by Cullen Gallagher
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