“It was a simple trip to the optometrist and I’ll never forget it, it changed my life.”
Rolf Geerlings, Children and Young People’s Operations Lead at Vision Australia.
Rolf was a successful pastry chef, making wedding cakes for his clients when he was diagnosed with Stargardt’s disease. He was at the peak of his career when he received the diagnosis that led to his life changing.
While he no longer bakes by trade, Rolf has never lost his love of cooking. With the help of new, accessible technologies he has learned to do things differently, and he is still as passionate in the kitchen as he ever was.
He has shown us that developing an eye condition does not mean you can’t take charge of your life and make important decisions. Which is exactly why Rolf is so important to us at Vision Australia.
He is dedicated to giving kids in the blind and low vision community the support they need to continue to do the things they love. To thrive in their lives and be happy, while playing with their friends and kicking goals at school.
In Rolf’s day-to-day, he leads the team that develops our children’s programs like Life Ready. The way Life Ready has been developed is so children can build strong foundations for life, in their own way, at their own pace with the help of their family.
“The support from Vision Australia has been everything, things like speech therapy and occupational therapy have made a huge difference.”
Sonia, mum of Jack, Noah and Thomas
It’s programs like Life Ready that are raising our children to become strong, independent and confident as they grow up.
Rolf has showed us that developing an eye condition does not mean giving up on yourself. Speaking about his role and being able to help young children, “Now I have a job that I truly do love”.
