At age 21, Sarlie began losing her eyesight unexpectedly due to a rare genetic condition called Stargardt Disease. By age 26, she became legally blind and told by many that she would never work again. However, Sarlie was determined not to be defined by her disability nor allow it to stop her from achieving her goals.

“When I received the news, I decided to leave my stressful marketing job and work as a rock-climbing instructor. Though I knew it would be difficult to convince an employer to hire someone with vision loss in an industry with rigid safety requirements, I went for it anyway. A few months later, I was hired as an instructor at my local rock-climbing gym despite having no experience or qualifications for the role, and the company having no current job openings.

This experience taught me that your disability does not have to limit what you do for a career, and thatknowing how to implement the correct recruitment and self-advocacy skills can be lifechanging”.

After hearing hundreds of stories from people who struggled to find work due to their disability, Sarlie then decided to use her recruitment and marketing skills to help others in her community. She began working at one of Australia’s largest disability agencies and then started her own company about four years later.

In addition to helping people with disabilities gain more confidence and secure their dream jobs, Sarlie has worked on several rewarding projects:

Providing employment advice on the Blind Abilities Podcast
Facilitating a disability disclosure workshop with STAMMA (a not-for-profit organisation in the UK)
Consulting the Sutherland Shire Council for their Disability Inclusion Action Plan (2022-26)
Providing disability awareness training to the NSW Advocate for Children and Young People (ACYP)

When she is not busy helping clients, you will find her hiking, scuba diving, indoor rock climbing, or making pottery.