Those experiencing disabilities have to overcome many trials on a daily basis, from their personal to their work lives. Unfortunately, too many people in the workplace and customers, don’t quite understand. This is why one Arkansas man, 24-year-old Jacoby Brown who is a legally blind Walmart worker, is bringing his reality to light. On TikTok, he shares what he experiences on a daily basis as a way to inform others and spread positivity.
Jacoby was born with a variety of eye conditions. He needs to be 20 feet away to see what others can see 200 feet away. This has made it incredibly difficult for Jacoby, especially in the realm of being able to find suitable work. He said in an interview about the subject, “A lot of the people that I come across, they’re not nice. If you have a disability out there, you know this, a lot of people that we come across, they are not nice.”
Jacoby secured a job as a stocker at Walmart in 2023, after being given a chance by the store’s ‘people lead,’ a woman named Brenda Draper. He was given an initial position as a ‘zoner’, who cleans specific zones in the store. Over time, he took on the position as a stocker, which he said“really scary.”
In the meantime, he started posting his day-to-day life on his TikTok account, “theblindguy_.” It allowed him to share an experience that others may resonate with. He even does it with an upbeat attitude that he often portrays daily.
After initially being bullied for his disabilities at college, he decided to take to TikTok positively. He stated, “I was walking through the fitting room, and I was just like, ‘Well, I want to create a TikTok about me being legally blind and an overnight stocker.’ I didn’t even know that the video was going to go viral, but it did.”
His first video gained so much traction that Walmart’s executive vice president reshared it on her LinkedIn. It was all praise on her end! Jacoby said, “I knew that I would probably inspire people within my community, but to inspire other people who aren’t disabled as well, it made me really happy. It brought me a lot of joy.”
Though Jacoby shares the positive side of his life, he uses TikTok to spread awareness of the hardships. These include joblessness, affordable housing, and how people with disabilities are taken advantage of. He went on to say, “We are scared to ask for things”, as a result of this. Despite the challenges he faced, it hasn’t stopped him from trying.
Jacoby has big plans for his future. He shared that he wants to return to college and become a social worker. Given his firsthand experience, his focus will be helping others with disabilities.
Jacoby Brown’s positive outlook and desire to help others in his position is an inspiration to us all. We can learn so many lessons from him, especially when it comes to helping others. This includes coming together as a community for those who need it!
