Kurt Deichmann is no stranger to hard work and innovative thinking.
After studying finance, insurance, and computer science at the University of Iowa, he spent many years designing automation solutions for underwriting and other processes and working with a vast array of clients to find customized solutions to their insurance needs. He then led teams of professionals in the utility industry to identify revenue streams, implement sales management methodology, and track business prospects. In 2009, he opened his own insurance agency specializing in risk management, sales force development, and small business formation.
What makes Kurt’s story all the more unique is his vision impairment.
“I was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa when I was a teenager,” said Kurt. “I was told that I could be blind by the time I was 20. I was fortunate, as the progression was slow in my case, and I was still driving a car at 42.”
Kurt was pronounced totally blind on February 25, 1998.
Through his own life experiences, Kurt realized how important it was for individuals who are blind and visually impaired to have the necessary life skills and access to support and resources so that they can live life to the fullest.
“I had been a director of a comprehensive rehabilitation training program for the blind and vision impaired for nine years,” said Kurt. “That experience allowed me to design an alternate training program that had several features that I felt would improve the training for the clients.”
From there, the idea of First Aid for the Blind began to take shape.
Kurt wanted to create a program that included a “Training Buddy,” a friend or family member who could participate in the lessons with the client to provide support and help. He also saw value in recorded lessons that focused on the most important skills, instead of overwhelming clients with more information than they could process all at once.
“I wanted to be the first provider to get in front of every newly diagnosed vision impaired or blind person as soon as possible after they had received a negative diagnosis,” said Kurt. “My hope was to short-circuit the depression or anxiety cycle before it had an opportunity to manifest itself.”
Many people who find themselves suddenly blind from an accident or illness face psychological trauma. They are unsure of how to navigate their new reality, and that can lead to depression and other mental health issues.
Kurt wants to know that if people find themselves losing their vision, FAFTB is here to help them substitute “hope for the future in place of the fear for their future.”
Created in 2023, FAFTB was designed to step in immediately when a need arises to provide useful skills and compassionate support to individuals facing vision loss, as well as their loved ones. The goal is to hopefully increase opportunities for those with vision loss to live independently with confidence.
Kurt is thrilled by the opportunity to see FAFTB grow and succeed now that he has retired from the insurance field.
“FAFTB is providing a service for both the client and the client’s support family by offering a rapid deployment training curriculum that provides the best of the best skills and assistive devices,” said Kurt proudly.
To enroll in the FAFTB training program, visit www.faftb.com/services.
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