Reina Grosvalet is a hard woman to track down, as she is working as a 508 compliance analyst with Accenture through a government contract awarded to CLB. Reina developed glaucoma and cataracts when she was a small child, about 25 years ago and quickly lost her sight. She attended school at the Maryland School for the Blind and was a camper at CLB’s Camp Lighthouse for nine years as well as three additional years as a volunteer camp counselor. After finishing school, she was very interested in information technology and decided to teach herself certain software programs. After gaining certification in HTML and CSS, and full of the entrepreneurial spirit, she set out as a freelance compliance analyst, where she tested the websites, software, and documents of the federal government and private companies to ensure their accessibility to persons with all types of disabilities.
After seven years as a freelancer, Reina tired of the uncertainty and amount of time selling her services to organizations, instead of doing what she loved, Reina reached out to CLB to determine whether she could get a more stable position. Fortunately, CLB was able to place Reina with Accenture under a government contract. Reina has been working with Accenture for less than a year, yet she is very enthusiastic with the possibility of staying with Accenture beyond the length of her contract saying, “If I’m going to do something, I will do something I love, and I love this.” Reina recommends that others follow her lead and inquire with CLB’s government services department if you are IT savvy and willing to learn.
Reina is also a very big proponent of self-advocating and recommends that one has to find a way to get what they want by being brave and getting out there and asking. Reina surely wouldn’t be such a successful professional without taking some chances and advocating for herself. Reina is also a huge proponent of knowing your civil rights and the laws covering the rights of persons with disabilities.
