One of the great pleasures of working at Quantum is meeting the many wonderful people who rise to the challenges that life has sent them with great determination and aplomb.

Losing your vision can be a traumatic event that shapes the rest of your life. For many people it marks the end of the things they most enjoy doing. For others, it is the start of a journey of re-learning and finding their way around the obstacles that vision loss can raise.

Meet David Mathieson, an “80-something” resident of the mid-north coast of NSW. David has had a long and varied career, starting and building his own successful geo-technical services company, of which he remains a Director.

Macular degeneration has taken much of his central vision and David is legally blind. He has been an avid user of assistive technology and a long term client of Quantum. He uses several generations of the ClearView magnifiers as well as the OrCam wearable reading aid.

He is also a person undeterred by a challenge. Faced with the prospects of designing and building a new home, David first wanted a model to check how all his ideas would work. So he built one!

A scale replica of what was eventually built; a multi-story model complete with stairwells, balustrades and an unbelievable level of detail. David is pictured below with part of the model. There is also a detachable roof!

David designed and fabricated the model by himself, with only the assistance of his ClearView magnifier. For many of us, the thought of making such an intricate model would be hard to imagine, but doing it with very limited vision is truly astounding.

It is a wonderful example to many people, especially those who are just experiencing vision loss for the first time, of how life can remain a rich and rewarding experience.

David is pictured above writing under his ClearView. Reading, writing and model-making – all with Low Vision!