I Was Afraid AI Would Not Work for Me. Here Is What I Discovered Instead.

There is something I have not said out loud enough.

Before I became someone who teaches AI to blind and visually impaired individuals, I was someone who was afraid of it.

I have 55 years of lived experience with vision impairment. I have built a career helping people navigate technology with confidence. I delivered a TEDx Las Vegas talk about moving from tech frustration to freedom. And still, when artificial intelligence started showing up everywhere, I had a quiet fear sitting in the back of my mind.

What if it does not work for me?

What if my screen reader cannot keep up? What if the interface is inaccessible? What if I invest time learning something that was never designed with me in mind?

Those fears were honest. And I know many of you have carried them too.

So I tested it for myself.

I sat down with Claude, one of the most accessible AI tools available today, and I started with the simplest possible task. I asked it to help me understand a piece of correspondence I had received.

And it worked.

Not perfectly the first time. Not without some adjustment. But it worked in a way that felt genuinely useful, genuinely accessible, and genuinely designed to help me think and communicate more independently.

That moment changed something for me.

It was not about the technology being perfect. It was about realizing that the barrier was never my capability. The barrier was never having someone show me how to use these tools in a way that worked for my life, my devices, and my pace.

That is exactly what I built the From Tech Frustration to Freedom AI Workshop to do.

Tomorrow, Wednesday June 10th, from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM Pacific Time, I am opening that door for you.

We will talk honestly about what AI is and why it has felt hard. We will set up Claude in a way that works with your screen reader. We will practice real skills including reading and responding to correspondence independently. And you will leave with confidence that stays with you.

$47. Lifetime replay included. No upsells. No pressure.

Just two hours with someone who has walked where you are walking and found a way through.

If something about this article spoke to you today, your seat is waiting.

https://www.victoriaessner.com/aiworkshopfromtechfrustrationtofreedom

Remember to be grateful, and just as important, remember to be kind, because kindness is contagious. Stay blessed and empowered.

Victoria Essner Assistive Technology Coach, Advocate, and Speaker Blessed Thru Blindness