MILWAUKEE (SPECTRUM NEWS)— The Milwaukee VA helps innovate the lives of veterans who are blind or visually impaired.

One example of that is John Carter.

Carter is a Marine Veteran who also served as a Milwaukee police officer.

“I was a patrol officer in the police department until July 31st, 1976,” Marine Veteran, John Carter said,

Carter was shot in the face while on duty. The incident left him completely blind.

“I spent the rest of 1967 in and out of a lot of hospitals having a lot of reconstructive surgery a lot of different medical procedures,” Carter said.

He spent most of that year transitioning from living an active lifestyle to learning to live blind. He says it was no easy task. However, with the help of the Milwaukee VA, he was able to find help through blind rehab centers and with some technology the VA offered.

“The devices that are being developed for blind people nowadays are just unbelievable. They are opening doors for blind people that some, particularly veterans could never believe would be available to them,” Carter said.

Daniel Snyder is a visual impairment services coordinator with the Milwaukee VA and works with veterans like Carter. He helps them integrate and to learn new devices.

“They will leave with many devices and hours of training. They will be extremely confident inter skills crossing streets, using the technology of daily living,” Milwaukee VA Impairment Services Coordinator, Daniel Snyder said.

He is able to show them many technology options like something as simple as a watch that verbally tells time or even a device that reads prescriptions and the directions that come with them.

Fro Carter, one of the most impactful devices he says he has used so far is the Orcam. It’s a tool that takes a picture of whatever is in front of you and reads words or can even store names of people so you know who you are talking to.

“It read the menu to me. To be able to stand there and not be able to see anything but to have it read a menu it was just it was very emotional,” Carter said.

Tools like this have helped create a more interactive way of life for Carter who is always ready to learn and try new things.

Carter says with the help of technology he was able to go back to school to become an attorney.