Gulf Coast man overcomes vision loss; pursues career helping others

LONG BEACH, Miss. (WXXV) — A Gulf Coast man who unexpectedly lost his vision is preparing to graduate from a local rehabilitation center—one that helped him rediscover his purpose.
We sat down with Courtez Tyler, who says this journey not only changed his life, but inspired him to help others facing the same transition.

For the last 10 months, Courtez Tyler has spent each day learning essential blindness skills at the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services EMERGE Center in Long Beach.

Tyler, a former electrician at Ingalls Shipyard, lost his vision two and a half years ago following an unexpected diagnosis.

“I was told I had a brain tumor right behind my left eye. I went to the hospital the next day. That morning I got checked in, was able to get surgery the next morning. They basically took care of what needed to be done. My vision was just fine after that. Then I was told they didn’t know if it was gonna be the same, which I was fine with, but it started to get a little bit blurrier and darker. They did all the assessments they could do, and basically said, ‘where his eyesight is now is where it will be for the rest of his life,'” said Tyler.

He says that in the months after losing his sight, he felt lost in life, but when Tyler joined the program everything shifted.

“Since coming here… after finding out that all the instructors here are blind… it also peaked my interest in knowing that I’m gonna be learning from instructors who are going through the same thing that I’m going through and have gone through,” Tyler said. “Last year, going to the national convention in New Orleans, and just seeing all the thousands of blind people doing their own thing around Canal Street, Bourbon Street, and around the hotel at the convention, and all the blind professionals there… it was very inspiring. It brought me to a realization that I can do anything that I want to do, I just have to do it in a different type of way.”

With daily classes at MDRS’ EMERGE Center, Tyler has learned cane travel, braille reading and writing, home management, and technology.

Through it all, he’s learned not just how to navigate life without his vision—but how to truly thrive. Now, he’s stepping forward with a new purpose: helping others in his community find strength and independence in the face of the same challenge.

“This brought me back to a life where I used to be before I lost my eyesight, so it’s definitely boosted my confidence in wanting to get back out and do more in the community,” said Tyler. “The main motivation, first, has always been Jesus, and then family and friends. All three have helped me get through and get to the point where I am now mentally. I wanna do the same thing for others.”

Leaders at the EMERGE Center say Tyler’s journey is a powerful example of how their program is changing lives—helping members of the coast’s blind community reclaim their independence.

“It makes me feel happy on the inside that we have people here in Mississippi that want to go off and get the certifications they need to go and get, or the degree they need to go and get, and come back and give back to our community to show that it can be done,” said Director Macaulay Beasley.

Tyler will graduate from the MDRS EMERGE Center on April 10 and will go on to pursue his apprenticeship to become an orientation and mobility instructor.

The EMERGE Center encourages those with complete or partial vision loss to seek training with MDRS. Click here for more information.