Such a wonderful opportunity for me to have a conversation with Dr. Kamille Richardson. You're about to hear many telling stories about Kamille and her mother Jackie. Jackie just got down to business when finally a doctor agreed with her assessment that her daughter was born blind. Other medical professionals beat around the bush suggesting Kamille perhaps had lazy eyes, but in fact her mother knew almost immediately after she was born, that her daughter was blind. Jackie started the "Center For the Blind" in North Carolina because not only was there no school system that could accommodate her daughter, but there were non educational programs for any visually impaired students in the area. That's just one of the many wonders of Jackie and just one of the many wonderful stories my guest shares of her "no-nonsense" mother.
Kamille learned at a young age that not many businesses were interested in hiring a visually impaired employee. Oh yes, she presented very well on the phone with prospective employers, but when they saw her in person, the rejection came fast. She didn't even get a chance to prove them wrong.
Again, Jackie her mom, didn't treat her blind daughter any differently than her other children. She had to learn the ways of the world at a very young age. Kamille would be the stronger for it. Kamille shared that her mother "NEVER let me use the word "can't," and that she taught her daughter "to advocate for herself."
Kamille Richardson was born blind but never lacked a vision for a bright future. An author, motivational speaker, and founder of iSee Technologies, Inc., she has overcome various obstacles to build a life and career she loves.
Not only is she an advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion, but she’s constantly breaking corporate norms, shattering expectations, and reminding companies that diversity fuels business growth.
Here’s how Richardson fought against the odds to build her own company—and create more space for inclusion in some of the world’s top companies.
From a young age, Richardson knew she was different—but was raised not to see her disability as a weakness. “My mother never let me use the word ‘can’t,'” Richardson recalls. Because her mother taught her to advocate for herself, growing up blind never deterred her dreams.
“I was allowed to dream big,” she shares. “I always knew, even when I was younger, that I was going to overcome barriers in the best way I knew how. It wasn’t always easy, of course, but I was determined.”
When Richardson started applying for jobs, she received numerous interview invitations. However, a pattern quickly emerged.
“They would see me, and they’d see that white cane in my hand—and the temperature would drop about 20 degrees,” she shares.
*She looked great on paper, but once employers realized she was blind, their perception shifted.
“Suddenly that warm greeting I got earlier became a cold conversation, and it always ended with the ‘Don’t call us, we’ll call you,'” she says. “The calls and emails never came.”
Tired of rejection, she decided to say yes to herself. “I knew I had the power to hire me,” Richardson explains.
*Her determination only grew as she stepped into the business world as a blind, Black entrepreneurial woman.
*At first, she believed that fitting into corporate norms was the only way to succeed. “I thought I had to be very corporate, buttoned-up, and wear my power suit,” she admits. “But that’s not me. When I tried to show up like that—stiff and stuffy—I wasn’t comfortable in my own skin, and the doors still weren’t opening.”
Only when Richardson embraced her true self did things change.
“I showed up with my big curly hair, my big earrings, and my colorful outfits—that’s when people started seeing my personality first,” she shares.
A self-described tech-savvy individual, Richardson adapted quickly to e-readers when the iPhone first launched them. Soon after, she founded iSee Technologies with the goal of helping her visually impaired and blind peers regain independence—particularly through employment.
But her clients often faced the same rejections she once did.
“I said to myself, ‘I need to evolve iSee Technologies to become part of the solution,'” Richardson says. “I decided to use my voice and my platform to go in and teach companies how to be more inclusive in their hiring and workplace culture—so when they see disability, they don’t immediately reject it.”
Today, iSee Technologies is a thriving business that offers people development consulting, accessibility services, and workforce wellness training to companies and government agencies. Their client list includes The Walt Disney Company, BASF, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Kraft, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Inclusion Is Good for Business
Hiring people from diverse backgrounds and abilities enhances innovation and team performance.
“The biggest misconception is that accommodations for people with disabilities are expensive,” Richardson explains. “But 59% of accommodations cost nothing at all—and the other 41% cost less than $500.”
Many businesses fail to see the value of disabled employees simply because they don’t understand it.
“We are some of the most creative and innovative team members you’ll ever have,” she says. “We live in a world not designed for us, so we have to be the ultimate problem solvers.”
-One of iSee Technologies’ corporate clients saw this potential and hired Richardson to conduct training to empower their teams to create more accessible environments. As a result, employees felt more validated and respected—and more committed to their work.
“And of course, when you have more engaged employees, that’s definitely going to help your bottom line.”
7) Social Media Links/Website:
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/kamille.richardson.9
INSTAGRAM: @kamillealia,https://www.instagram.com/kamillealia/
LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/livewithvision/
TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@lakilaj?lang=en
OTHER: http://www.kamillerichardson.com/
WEBSITE: https://www.iseetechinc.com/
WEBSITE: https://kamillerichardson.com/