Intro: 00:00

Welcome to the Heard & Empowered podcast, presented by National Industries for the Blind. We’re on a mission to empower people who are blind, low vision, or visually impaired to build fulfilling careers, gain personal independence, and take the next step toward achieving their own American dream. Guests from all walks of life share their journeys and how they overcame challenges they faced along the way. Whatever your interests, experience, talents, or career goals, listen to discover important connections and unlock the resources and inspiration you need to chart a new path. Ready to be heard and empowered?

Dean Thompson: 00:35  

Hi, I’m Dean Thompson, and welcome to the Heard & Empowered podcast. Thank you for tuning in. We’re here at the 2025 Public Policy Forum for NIB, and we have a wonderful guest with us. We have Alex. Welcome, Alex. Tell us a bit about, first off, who you work for. Where do you, where do you work? Where do you live?

Alexis Flores: 00:51  

Thank you very much. I’m coming from the San Francisco area. I work for the San Francisco LightHouse for the Blind. I’m the chemical production team lead there in our industrial warehouse, production warehouse where we manufacture cleaning chemicals and also we produce the tissue packets that go into the MREs for the military.

Dean Thompson: 01:16  

Oh, really? Okay. Yes. I didn’t give your full name, please.

Alexis Flores: 01:19  

Alexis Flores.

Dean Thompson: 01:21  

So, chemical manufacturing manager. That is an unusual title for someone who is partially sighted.

Alexis Flores: 01:29  

Yes. You know, it’s something that’s taken off in the last few years in San Francisco. It’s an ongoing production that we were developing out. And I have a team of about eight people that work directly with me, under my supervision on the production lines, in conjunction with our other managers and such. And we fill eco-friendly products for the government..

Dean Thompson: 02:02  

Eco-friendly and chemicals are two terms that don’t often live together. That’s kind of cool. What makes your products more eco-friendly than the average chemical product?

Alexis Flores: 02:10  

So our products are generally, I would say, safe for anyone. And they’re, they’re not, they’re neutral as far as no contents of ammonia or bleach. So those are two of the main ingredients that primarily make cleaners hazardous, right? If you ingest them or touch them, touch your eyes, whatever. And I think that having a product that can be used anywhere, pretty much at any time on most surfaces is pretty important.

Dean Thompson: 02:49  

Now, is this something your clients demand of you or something you do to help them?

Alexis Flores: 02:54  

Well, our clients being the government offices that we send our products to, and military bases that use our cleaning products, that we’re distributing to them now. In the years past, they were using our general cleaners that you find out on the market, industrial cleaners. And with the greener, greener pushes to, you know, be ecologically aware, it’s also important to remember that when these cleaners are used, there’s always a little bit of runoff that goes into our drains and into, you know, into our general environments.

Dean Thompson: 03:35  

Our yeah.

Alexis Flores: 03:35  

And having something that doesn’t adversely affect things going forward, you know, even after they’ve been used and not requiring so much water to dilute them that, you know, you’re wasting water, you’re wasting resources. We have something that can safely and properly clean everything that needs to be cleaned because that’s a natural part of coexisting, right?

Dean Thompson: 04:04  

It’s got to make you and your people feel better about what they do anyway, does it not?

Alexis Flores: 04:07  

Yes, it does.

Dean Thompson: 04:08  

Let’s go back a little bit. Tell me, how much sight do you have and how did you lose your sight, if you don’t mind my asking?

Alexis Flores: 04:13  

So, in my right eye I have about 20 over 200, which is the measurement of vision, right, to be qualified as visually impaired. And that is, you know what I can see at 20 feet or what you can see at 20 feet, I, right, is different. And when you can see something at 200 feet, if you have full vision, 20-20 vision, I have to be 20 feet away, right? So it’s kind of like a fraction of 10. And I only have 10% of vision in my right eye as your average person.

And I have been like that since, since I was born. It’s congenital. So to me, that’s been my life experience along with a condition known as aniridia. Aniridia being a condition that has left me without an iris inside my eye, so that the colorful part inside the eye that you see in pictures, and when you look at somebody, you see a tiny ring of color. And that’s a muscle. That’s a muscle that lets you control, that lets the eye control how much light goes into the eye and how much you perceive. I was born without that. So for me, that’s always been a struggle. Whenever I’m outside, particularly when in sunlight, I always carry dark sunglasses with me.

Dean Thompson: 05:50  

I didn’t, under the category of you learn something every day, I didn’t know that. That’s interesting. Thank you for that. Yeah.

When did you realize you’re different as a child? That other kids could see better than you?

Alexis Flores: 06:01  

I think it was early in, early in my schooling when I was, you know, kindergarten, first grade is really when I started to notice it more. I always understood that other kids could see better than me, but I didn’t really understand until like first grade, second grade that, okay, this is something that goes beyond just their eyes are just better than mine, right? And this, and that’s kind of when I started to realize, okay, you know, that I need different things to, for me to be able to compete and, not only compete, but socialize and interact with other people that were around me.

Dean Thompson: 06:43  

When did it become apparent that it might be more difficult for you to get a job than the average person?

Alexis Flores: 06:48  

When I was in high school, when I really had to struggle to, at the time, maintain a series of accommodations that I had. I had large-print books and I had, you know, big pieces of technology which are so small at the time. Now we have everything on our phones and on computers and touch screens. At the time, everything was paper and big, giant textbooks. I had to carry volumes of them at a time, and realizing that I had to carry around 40, 45 pounds worth of books. As you know, somebody, you know, still relatively young. Yeah. While everybody carries one book, it was, it was definitely an experience to really realize, okay, that is something different. And I’m going to have to learn to find a way that I don’t have to carry as much, I don’t have to struggle as much, and I’ve been able to do that with technology going forward.

Dean Thompson: 07:48  

The changes in the past 10 or 15 years are amazing, aren’t they? Seriously?

Alexis Flores: 07:51  

Yes, they are.

Dean Thompson: 07:52  

So I understand you’ve become an advocate. How does one become an advocate? Not that you haven’t been your entire life, but what makes you now officially more of an advocate than it was, say, two or three years ago?

Alexis Flores: 08:01  

Well, there’s two parts to that, I’d say, at least for me. I’ve always been an advocate, not only for myself, right? And that’s something that I, I grew up with or just kind of thinking, okay, I’m going to think for myself. I’m going to think for my own advocacy.

At some point in the last, I’d say 10 years, especially since I moved out of my childhood home with my parents into early adulthood, I became more aware of the needs that people with visual impairments have and where we are in today’s society. And I started participating in groups with the San Francisco LightHouse and the Braille Institute in California. Through that process, I was able to take leadership roles little by little and really start advocating not only on my behalf, but on behalf of those people who I was leading. You know, getting them the resources that they need, getting them to where they need to go, and really helping them plan their own life path along.

And learning from my own experiences, right, so that I could help them.

Dean Thompson: 09:26  

Give us a bit of a chronology. How did you come to work for the LightHouse? What did you do before that?

Alexis Flores: 09:31  

I was a student at Berkeley City College and yeah, in Berkeley, California. And I was studying analytical chemistry.

Dean Thompson: 09:42  

And right out of college,then you came to the LightHouse?

Alexis Flores: 09:45  

Yes.

Dean Thompson: 09:45  

Very cool. What was your first job there?

Alexis Flores: 09:49  

So my first official job for the San Francisco LightHouse was as a camp counselor in our summer camp, recreational and educational, a camp that we have in Napa, California. And they, along with the other counselors there, I led a recreation team. So, we had archery. We had games like goalball, which is, I don’t know how familiar you are with it, a sport for people who are blind, primarily, but everybody’s included, of course, if they so choose. And also, I helped out a lot with their equestrian, you know, horse riding and such, and that was the first two summers that, that was the first two summers that I served with the San Francisco LightHouse.

Dean Thompson: 10:45  

Right.

Alexis Flores: 10:46  

And then that was while I was still a, you know, student. And at the end of that, that second summer was when I was finishing up my educational path, at least for the time. And that is when I started looking at going into the manufacturing space with LightHouse. I heard about the opportunity, and I decided to take it, because I had learned at that point that I had to take the opportunities that I had.

Dean Thompson: 11:187

So, why chemistry? What made you want to go into chemistry, especially as someone who is partially sighted?

Alexis Flores: 11:23  

I always had a fascination with science. You know, chemistry always seemed like something abstract to me until when I was in college, I wanted to focus on computer science. And little by little, I just kind of drifted more into the chemistry kind of side. And it became much more familiar to me. And it became, just, more fun.

Dean Thompson: 11:50  

More fun? That’s cool.

Alexis Flores: 11:51  

Yeah.

Dean Thompson: 11:52  

So as an advocate, you’re here to advocate this week, I understand. What are you going to be advocating for? Please tell me.

Alexis Flores: 11:57  

Myself and a lot of my other advocates, we’re going up to Capitol Hill to advocate on behalf of not only our nonprofit agencies, but on behalf of National Industries for the Blind, to to help advance the goals of where we want to, we want to be the ones that help manufacture and help supply the needs of our military and our servicemen and women.

Dean Thompson: 12:27  

Tell the audience what, what is this 1% goal? What’s the impact of it?

Alexis Flores: 12:31  

Well, the impact is that it helps provide thousands and thousands of jobs. You know, if we can get that 1% utilization fully legislated, we can provide thousands of jobs.

Dean Thompson: 12:45  

And break 1% utilization down. What actually does it mean?

Alexis Flores: 12:49  

It means that we’re requesting, requesting our representatives to help legislate that  1% of the government’s budget for defense is spent directly on the AbilityOne Program.

Dean Thompson: 13:08  

Which doesn’t seem like a lot, but 1% of a jillion dollars is a piece of money, is it not?

Alexis Flores: 13:13  

It’s a bit of money, yes. But it is money well spent, I would say, because we want them to go from, you know, tax takers, right, people who are depending on these programs are going to taxpayers as part of that 1% goal.

Dean Thompson: 13:31  

It just makes good common sense. It’s wonderful. I read someplace it could mean up to 20,000 more jobs. Is that true?

Alexis Flores: 13:38  

Yes. My understanding is between 20,000 and 30,000. Yes.

Dean Thompson: 13:43  

Wow. So as of right now, the Department of Defense now voluntarily spends about one half of 1% in this area. Am I correct?

Alexis Flores: 13:50  

Presently, yes. That it’s spending about that much. It’s not, not yet in legislation. So unfortunately, the government could, you know, do less or more.

Dean Thompson: 14:02  

They could change their minds.

Alexis Flores: 14:03  

Yeah, they could change their minds, which would really negatively impact people, right?.

Dean Thompson: 14:10  

So what are you going to try to do to make it a full 1%? What’s the goal here?

Alexis Flores: 14:14  

Well, I would like to share that, the people that I, that I work with, right, that not only here in DC with, you know, with my co-advocates, but the people that I work with on the production lines directly manufacturing the products that the government needs, those are people, not only as human beings, but citizens and people who, you know, of all backgrounds that want to work. And people who, who have families and lives that all over, that those are opportunities that, that the government has to, to really help employ those people and continue to, continue to make things here in the United States in a way that provides for everybody.

Dean Thompson: 15:12  

Is there legislation currently being proposed that’ll cover this 1% issue?

Alexis Flores: 15:17  

Yes. We’re proposing changes to the legislature overall. And that’s our goal here.

Dean Thompson: 15:26  

Tell us about that law, please, tell us what it would do.

Alexis Flores: 15:30  

Well it would, it would help solidify the the overall need for, you know, domestic manufacturing for where, for where we are as a country, where we have people coming in to work and we have people with disabilities who, you know, who are blind coming into work and really empowering the ability and growing that, that network of people to finally reach our goals, not only on a personal level but as a community.

Dean Thompson: 16:08  

In addition to the 1% of the DOD budget you’re looking to try to put into law, what other things are you looking to advocate while you’re here this week?

Alexis Flores: 16:16  

We’re looking at reforming parts of the Social Security income network, right, and how the limits that are placed on people are, are sometimes harmful, you know, in respects to what the programs are, they’re not always super-beneficial for people.

Dean Thompson: 16:38  

Tell us how that works and how it doesn’t work right now, could you?

Alexis Flores: 16:40  

So, at the present moment, a lot of people who are on Social Security Disability Income, for example.

Dean Thompson: 16:51  

That’s SSDI, right?

Alexis Flores: 16:52  

Yes, SSDI. Yes. A lot of the time they find themselves limited as far as how much they can keep in their, as far as assets go, yeah. You’re very limited on how much you can have at any one time. Not only in your bank account, but in any amount of assets.

And you’re also limited on income. You’re limited to, at the present moment I believe it’s like $2,700 a month. And that’s not quite a lot when, especially in areas like where I’m coming from. So San Francisco and the Bay Area in California where rents are, you know, $2,000, $2,300 a month and for almost a single bedroom. And that’s quite a bit. And if you can’t have any more than $2,700, you’re never that far from the brink of….

Dean Thompson: 17:47  

It sounds like it’s mandated poverty, isn’t it?

Alexis Flores: 17:50  

Yeah, it really does feel like it, because you’re never that far from the brink of, you know, bankruptcy or poverty and you’re living, really, check to check. And it’s really difficult without any other government assistance, which, I mean, I know that a lot of the time, I mean,isn’t looked at necessarily positively,right?

Dean Thompson: 18:13  

So as I understand, someone who is on SSDI now can earn up to $2,700 a month or thereabouts, right? But if they earn a dollar more than that, they get cut off from SSDI?

Alexis Flores: 18:24  

Yes. My understanding is that it’s about a one-to-one ratio, right? Or almost there, where every dollar you make above that threshold you, you start to lose that in benefits and you have to pay that back a lot of the time, which, you know, to somebody who’s maybe not in a particularly high-paying position where you’re going to really kind of lose that that benefit altogether. And it’s not necessarily good, right, when you have people deciding, oh my, do I want to step into a higher role or do something that potentially pays more and lose my benefits? Or do I want to just, you know, stay where I am and have what benefits I have? And I think that’s a very difficult choice that people face. And it’s very, it’s hurtful to people because you can’t really step outside of that space without really making difficult choices.

Dean Thompson: 19:34  

How much good do you think you can do here? I mean, everybody always, I’ve never talked to my congressperson, ever, senator. So have you talked to someone in Congress before directly?

Alexis Flores: 19:45  

Yes. Okay. And I’ve spoken to Congressman Garamendi directly as part of the Advocates Program. And that was last year. This is my second year. And I can say that it was something that I never really considered in years past. And I can’t say that your average person has talked to their local representative.

I would say that a lot of people all over, all over these United States don’t quite know who their local representative is. And I think it’s a very important thing to know who, you know, not only who you’re, who’s representing you at all levels of government, but also, you know, what their policies are and who you can, who you can feel you can trust, not only with your votes, but you know, with your, what affects your lives.

Dean Thompson: 20:36  

So when you spoke to your – what kind of effect do you think it had upon your congressperson when you spoke last year?

Alexis Flores: 20:43  

Well, it was a very brief conversation, but I think it was impactful because I’ve since been able to, you know, maintain some level of correspondence with the congressman and his team. He’s recognized that the impact that my, myself and my team have is that we’re providing jobs and we’re providing revenue to our counties, and we, we’re people along with, you know, everybody else who lives in, in their district. And that’s important, right? And we, you know, we’re leading a positive change for the better.

Dean Thompson: 21:30  

Alex, thank you so much for your time here and good luck on Wednesday.

Alexis Flores: 21:33  

Oh, thank you very much.

Outro: 21:34  

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