Meet Dustin
Finding purpose, one step at a time
Dustin Jones has never been the kind of man to sit still, not when there's a Tennessee football game on, not when there's work to be done, and certainly not when life throws something hard his way. Still, for a stretch of years, staying home felt like the safest option. With retinitis pigmentosa (RP) gradually narrowing his field of vision since childhood, the world outside his front door had become harder to navigate, literally and figuratively.
"I still lived independently," Dustin says, "me and my daughter. But if I went somewhere, a lot of times I would just stay in the car because I had to depend on somebody to get me around." He was managing, but he wasn't thriving. And Dustin knew the difference.
By 2019, life had shifted around Dustin in significant ways. He'd been divorced for years and had raised his daughter largely on his own, with support from his parents next door. But in 2017 he lost his father, and in 2018, his mother. His daughter was graduating, in a serious relationship, and Dustin knew marriage wasn't far off.
"I'm not working because I have to," he says plainly. "I'm working because I want to, just to get out of the house and have something to do. But I knew I was going to go insane stuck in that house, especially after my daughter left. So I said: I've got to do something different."
That decision led him back to a place he'd briefly visited decades earlier, the STAR Center.
"I had no idea what they offered. I just knew I needed to do something."
What Dustin found at the Star Center surprised him. The staff was warm, patient, and genuinely invested in his goals. His first orientation and mobility (O&M) instructor, Angela Tab, introduced him to a skill that would quietly transform his daily life: white cane travel.
Dustin committed fully to his training. He showed up two days a week, every week, for skills instruction, and completed one-and-a-half to two-and-a-half hour cane travel sessions on top of that; often rising at 4:00 or 4:30 in the morning to ride public transit and arrive at the Star Center by 9 a.m.
"A lot of people wouldn't do that," he says quietly. He pauses. "But what was going on before wasn't working. So I put forth the effort."
He also, trained in data entry and clerical skills under the guidance of staff like Lindsey. Stephen, an Employment Specialist, took on Dustin's job search with persistence, canvassing employers and looking for the right fit. "He did everything," Dustin said with gratitude. "He was beating the bushes, going around trying to find me something."
Stephen's persistence paid off. He connected Dustin with Goodwill, where Dustin interviewed and was hired essentially on the spot. At 50 years old, with years of vision training behind him, Dustin stepped into a job close to home, surrounded by people who came to look out for him.
The first days weren't without nerves. The back-of-house environment at Goodwill is dynamic; merchandise moves constantly, pathways shift, and the layout can look completely different from one trip to the bathroom to the next. His manager was openly worried about his safety.
Dustin wasn't rattled. "I told her: I've been training with a white cane for four years. I may get disoriented sometimes, but I promise you, I won't fall." He never has.
Today, Dustin arrives each morning via public transit, settles into his routine, and gets to work. He's become known for his output, surpassing colleagues who don't face the same challenges. For Dustin, that's not about proving anything. It's about honoring the opportunity.
"She didn't have to hire me," he says of his employer. "So I put forth an extra effort."
When asked what he'd say to someone experiencing vision loss who feels uncertain about their future, Dustin doesn't sugarcoat it. He knows how frightening that step can feel.
"It's so scary for people. It was scary for me," he says. "And it's hard to step out and just do it, no pun intended, completely blind, because I had no idea what I was getting into. But I was just at the point in my life where I said: what's going on right now is not working. I've got to do something different."
His advice is simple: go get the skills. Show up. Let people help you.
And you'll find what Dustin found at the Star Center, a team that believed in him, trained him, advocated for him, and walked alongside him every step of the way.
What Dustin found at the Star Center surprised him. The staff was warm, patient, and genuinely invested in his goals. His first orientation and mobility (O&M) instructor, Angela Tab, introduced him to a skill that would quietly transform his daily life: white cane travel.
Dustin committed fully to his training. He showed up two days a week, every week, for skills instruction, and completed one-and-a-half to two-and-a-half hour cane travel sessions on top of that; often rising at 4:00 or 4:30 in the morning to ride public transit and arrive at the Star Center by 9 a.m.
"A lot of people wouldn't do that," he says quietly. He pauses. "But what was going on before wasn't working. So I put forth the effort."
He also, trained in data entry and clerical skills under the guidance of staff like Lindsey. Stephen, an Employment Specialist, took on Dustin's job search with persistence, canvassing employers and looking for the right fit. "He did everything," Dustin said with gratitude. "He was beating the bushes, going around trying to find me something."
Stephen's persistence paid off. He connected Dustin with Goodwill, where Dustin interviewed and was hired essentially on the spot. At 50 years old, with years of vision training behind him, Dustin stepped into a job close to home, surrounded by people who came to look out for him.
The first days weren't without nerves. The back-of-house environment at Goodwill is dynamic; merchandise moves constantly, pathways shift, and the layout can look completely different from one trip to the bathroom to the next. His manager was openly worried about his safety.
Dustin wasn't rattled. "I told her: I've been training with a white cane for four years. I may get disoriented sometimes, but I promise you, I won't fall." He never has.
Today, Dustin arrives each morning via public transit, settles into his routine, and gets to work. He's become known for his output, surpassing colleagues who don't face the same challenges. For Dustin, that's not about proving anything. It's about honoring the opportunity.
"She didn't have to hire me," he says of his employer. "So I put forth an extra effort."
When asked what he'd say to someone experiencing vision loss who feels uncertain about their future, Dustin doesn't sugarcoat it. He knows how frightening that step can feel.
"It's so scary for people. It was scary for me," he says. "And it's hard to step out and just do it, no pun intended, completely blind, because I had no idea what I was getting into. But I was just at the point in my life where I said: what's going on right now is not working. I've got to do something different."
His advice is simple: go get the skills. Show up. Let people help you.
And you'll find what Dustin found at the Star Center, a team that believed in him, trained him, advocated for him, and walked alongside him every step of the way.
For more information on Vision Services contact Christie Elliott at or call 731-554-5176.
For information on other services email Information or call 731-668-3888.