When most teenagers reach 16, they’re more than ready for a little independence.They learn to drive, and they may even get an after-school job.It’s a time of discovery and learning as they prepare for adulthood.

But when Christy O’Dell was 16, her world began to increasingly narrow, squeezing out opportunities to reach milestones most teens take for granted.O’Dell, who is president of the Southeast Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind, said she first noticed her vision was faltering when she was 15. “It started when I couldn’t see in the dark,” she told members of the Lions Club of Cleveland during their luncheon on Wednesday. The symptoms grew. When she accidentally dropped a drinking glass, she could not see the sharp fragments of glass scattered about the floor.“Mom asked me where the pieces of the glass were, and I almost stuck my hand in the glass,” she said. “So, we knew there was something going on.” A doctor later diagnosed O’Dell with retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic disorder that causes night, peripheral and central vision loss.

Today, her eyesight is reduced to a pinhole. “I see pretty much straight ahead like the tip of an ink pen,” she said. Dealing with vision loss at such a young age was difficult. “I was a teenager who wanted to drive, and my whole life changed,” O’Dell said.Although she said it took some time to accept the diagnosis, O’Dell said her mother told her, “We’re going to get through it.”“ She wouldn’t let me give up,” O’Dell said.Her grandmother, whose home was located on a cul-de-sac, ensured O’Dell had the chance to get behind the wheel of a car, although with some restrictions.“She would let me drive around the circle,” she quipped.Her guide dog, Wiggles, who has been by her side for seven years, also enables O’Dell to live a more independent life. “I will never be without one,” she said.Wiggles was acquired from the Guide Dog Foundation in New York. After traveling there to meet Wiggles, O’Dell spent several weeks training with her new companion.“You learn to become a team,” she said. “If your dog goes left, you go left, and if they stop, you stop.”While training, both had to cross an eight-lane road.“I was terrified, but we did it,” O’Dell said.The Southeast Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind, where O’Dell has served as president for the past 10 years, consists of seven members.They are seeking to expand the organization.“We know there are more than seven people in this town who are blind or visually impaired,” O’Dell said. She said the mission of the organization, which meets monthly and hosts speakers, is to educate, empower and advocate.Next month, O’Dell said she and another chapter member are traveling to Memphis for the annual state convention.There, they will attend meetings with others who are visually impaired as well as hear convention speakers discuss blindness topics.O’Dell, who said she and others in the Cleveland Chapter live on fixed incomes, is seeking donations to pay hotel and travel expenses.As a result, the organization has set up a GoFundMe page to help raise the $3,000 needed to fund the trip for two organization members.While living with blindness is challenging, O’Dell and Wiggles can been seen shopping in stores, going for walks and enjoying life just like everyone else. But adjusting to a world without sight took some time.”At first it was very difficult, and then finally, over the years, I just said, ‘Hey, deal with what you’ve been given and figure it out.’

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O’dell can be contacted at 423-665-2954 or by email at southeast@NFBTN.org.