When biomedical scientist Linda Agnew was diagnosed with a degenerative eye condition 15 years ago, and then discovered that three of her four children would also lose their sight, she could easily have "sat in the corner and cried". Instead, she did something else.
"I don't want to be Pollyanna-ish about it; there have been some really challenging and stressful periods and it has taken me a long time to come to terms with losing my sight," says Linda. "But from the outset I was very determined that I wasn't going to let it define me, and that I would endeavour to be a role model for my kids and other visually impaired people, and show that you can achieve your goals."
Linda progressively lost her sight over a decade due to cone rod dystrophy, and has been completely blind for five years. As devastating as this initially was, she came to see that it presented a choice and a unique opportunity.
It was important to me to demonstrate that you can get on with things and not only be a functional member of society but also aspire to really big things.
"Because I have abilities and talents that other people around me may not have," says Linda, who will soon appear as a Blind Citizens Australia ambassador for education and career success.
For one thing, Linda has had a diverse career history to draw on. She'd worked as a doula and childbirth educator, in financial administration and in a pathology laboratory before enrolling to study Biomedical Science at UNE, first as a part-time distance education student. She had also survived moving her entire family from isolated Mt Isa to Armidale to complete her studies, before launching her scientific career.
"After my undergraduate study I did a year of Honours (in HIV immunology) and then my PhD, and the diagnosis came in the final year of my PhD, in 2005," Linda says. "I had wanted to go overseas to do a post-doctoral research fellowship in medical research and was imagining a career as a cellular immunologist, but I had to change direction."
Importantly, Linda also possessed a positive mindset about where change could take her. "In life you have choices about how to respond to situations," she says.
It forced me to think about what I was really good at and what I was really passionate about, and to focus on those things. Without sight, I have had to be very intentional - about where I want to go and how I am going to get there.
"I chose to forge ahead and look for alternate pathways that would enable me to utilise all my skills and the hard work I had put in over seven years. It was then that I realised I also had valuable leadership and administration skills, and so began my journey from lecturer to senior lecturer to associate professor and now head of the School of Science and Technology at UNE."
Exploring new possibilities meant focussing on what technological aids, social support and professional development Linda needed, as well as drawing on personal reserves of resilience and adaptability.
"I've had to adapt the way I work and hone other skills," she says. "My vision loss demands an additional layer of planning but I've learnt to advocate for myself to seek new opportunities, achieve career goals and be the best me I can be."
Fundamental to Linda's success, she says, is taking time out to reflect, connecting regularly with trusted mentors, and helping others through humanitarian work here and overseas.
"Our world is changing fast and we need to be able to respond to change," Linda says. "My philosophy is that it's better to be proactive than reactive; to be thinking of what's next. Change can be a stepping stone and sometimes very exciting."
