At 90 years old, Charles McKinnies has no plans of slowing down.
Although completely blind, he works at the San Antonio Lighthouse manufacturing plant and enjoys coming to work every day.
“The Lighthouse is a special place for people like me who are blind,” Charles said. “It’s hard to get a job when you’re blind.”
Charles’ vision started deteriorating in 1994 when he was diagnosed with glaucoma. The Lighthouse's rehabilitation program helped him learn how to navigate life with vision loss and he eventually started working at the Lighthouse as a sewing machine operator. Currently, he packages writing instruments assembled at the Lighthouse.
In the last 17 years, Charles has built strong relationships with his coworkers.
“We call everybody family,” Charles said. “We’re not related or anything, but just the closeness of working together all the time. The Lighthouse is another home.”