With his vision deteriorating, Brad Kuhn is determined not to let his eyesight shadow his goals.

Kuhn, a senior political science major, was born with cataracts and now has glaucoma.

“My doctor didn’t check my eye pressure, so I was diagnosed with glaucoma when I was nine months old,” Kuhn said.

Kuhn has had about 50 surgeries on his eyes, including crial, or freezing of the eye, laser and cancer shots.

“You can think of glaucoma like water in a balloon,” Kuhn said. “You can only have so much water.”

Kuhn also had an implant, which is like a tube in the eye, that helps the pressure flow and prevents blindness from setting.

“My eyesight is still deteriorating, but I’m not going totally blind,” he said. “I can see up to 2 or 3 feet in front of me in my right eye, but in my left eye, it’s all red and foggy.”

Despite his visual impairment, Kuhn is involved in a lot of activities, such as working at the Holmes Student Center McDonald’s and being a part of the National Federation of the Blind. The Federation lobbys in Washington, D.C., holds conventions and provides job opportunities, Kuhn said.

He also has been a Student Association senator for five-and-a-half years and plans on running for student trustee.

Kuhn first thought about joining the SA after being in the Student Leadership program.

“It’s something I enjoy,” Kuhn said. “It’s not only just something to put on my resume. Before, I used to be very timid. Now, I’ve become more outspoken and speak my mind when I see something that upsets me.”

Being a political science major, Kuhn hopes to work with the department of human rights in Springfield.

“I want to work in cases of discrimination, mostly in cases of sex discrimination,” Kuhn said.

Kuhn is also an adventure seeker, sky-diving being one of his latest endeavors.

“It was really cool,” he said. “It was like free-falling when I opened up the parachute.”

Kuhn said he enjoys staying involved in school and considers himself sociable.

“College is the best time in your life,” Kuhn said. “If I just focused on my grades, I would be miserable. You can’t have just a 4.0 grade-point average and nothing else under your belt.”

Kuhn said he thought NIU was very accessible and has a lot to offer, but more can be done. He encourages others with disabilities to speak about problems they encounter.

“One hazard is the garbage container over by the Holmes Student Center,” he said. “It’s hard for people with wheelchairs to get by. That’s something that bothers me, and hopefully, it’ll change.”

People with different disabilities face different obstacles, Kuhn said.

“I think in order to give more to the public, they [people with disabilities] should do more to get involved and to be more noticeable,” Kuhn said.