At the age of 10, Jose Tamayo, who was born with Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), moved with his parents from Cuba to America. Despite his young age and visual impairment, Jose adapted easily to what could have been a tough transition for any child. Jose and his family settled in Miami, where he grew up and attended public schools.

After high school, Jose attended Miami-Dade Community College, earning a degree in Management Information Systems in 1995. Shortly after graduating, Jose and five friends started StrataSys, a systems and network integration company. After shifting their focus to IT solutions and consulting, StrataSys grew into a firm with over 12 million dollars in annual revenue.

As StrataSys grew, Jose's affliction with RP began stealing his peripheral vision, making it difficult for him to use a computer. He went from providing computer solutions to needing a computer solution for himself. That's when Jose discovered ZoomText.

Due to the nature of Retinitis Pigmentosa, which causes tunnel vision, Jose did not require the magnification features in ZoomText. Instead, he used ZoomText's screen enhancement tools to easily find and follow the mouse pointer and text cursor, keeping them in his focus. He also employed ZoomText's reading features to read and write documents. With the help of ZoomText Jose resumed his work at full capacity, with the goal of taking StrataSys to the next level.

Unfortunately, in 2003, regrettable business decisions, would lead to the demise of StrataSys. At the same time, Jose's deteriorating eyesight forced him to give up driving and his need for ZoomText intensified.

In an attempt to pick up where they left off, Jose and two of his former partners formed a new company, but the publicity of the StrataSys failure made it difficult to get the new company off the ground. Jose and his partners decided to move on.

Jose has recently teamed with a friend on a number of new ventures, including the development of a new type of physical therapy device that will assist in the proper healing of damaged joints. They have successfully patented the design and are working to bring the product to market.

Today, Jose's RP has left him functionally blind. He can perceive light but has no usable vision. However, he continues to use his computer with the aid of ZoomText. Jose tells us, "For a time I was afraid I'd have to give up computer work, but with ZoomText I can hear what's happening on the screen. In fact, at this point, I no longer have use for a monitor."

Jose was thrilled to discover ZoomText's Web Finder, which enhances his ability to use the web for research and enjoyment. And now that ZoomText speaks in a friendly, human-sounding voice, via the NeoSpeech synthesizer, it's even easier for him to find what he's looking for and accomplish any computer task.

Jose has this advice for others with vision impairments, "Don't give up. Don't expect to win all the time, failures will happen. But always look for a way to move on. ZoomText is one of my best moving-on tools."

These days Jose still resides in Miami. He enjoys spending as much time as he can with his young daughters. In addition to his latest marketing ventures, Jose is contemplating further education, with the goal of obtaining a PhD. To help him accomplish these goals, Jose is presently working with the Lighthouse for the Blind to learn Braille and mobility skills. He wants to show his children that anything is possible if you keep moving on.