Work for Bob Murphy over most of the past 20 years meant operating a switchboard. It was one of the few jobs open to him.
However, over recent years all that has changed and he now sits in his office at a computer, going through documents. The only indication that Bob works differently from anybody else is that he leaves the screen down on his laptop and has a guide dog at his feet.
Modern technology has transformed his life and he will soon be pointing out the benefits to other people with disabilities when he takes up a new job running a disability support unit for the northwest.
A screen reader which costs about £800 means he doesn't need to read the screen - it tells him what the computer is doing and reads documents for him. The Internet allows him to access any information he wants and e-mail means he can send and receive messages without help from anybody.
He can also now help his children with their homework, whereas a few years ago he used to have to send their schoolbooks to be translated into braille by prisoners in Arbour Hill jail.
"There's no doubt about it, technology has given me a new lease of life," he says.
He accepts that adapting to new technology may have been easier for him than some other blind people. He worked as a structural engineer for nine years before losing his sight at the age of 27 through a disease which damages the optic nerve.
"I vented my anger through drinking for about six months. I was finding it hard to get my act together but after six months I decided to cop myself on."
From Gorey, Co Wexford, he first moved to Sligo for training in braille and typing, and then moved back when he got a job in the tax office. He pays tribute to his bosses for helping him improve his computer skills.
He met his wife, Helen, in a pub in Sligo. "She was fond of the dog," he laughs. "Everybody talks to the dog but if there was a white stick there, nobody would go near it."
The couple now have two children, Ruaidhri (10) and Aisling (6). "They are brilliant. They have a technique all of their own to guide me. The six-year-old can let me know there is a step there without even saying a word. And they know they can't throw things on the floor or Daddy will trip over them."
From the time they were small he has taken them for walks or brought them out on their bikes. "We have a right old time. So, yes, we can carry on as normal - it doesn't stop me taking them to the cinema - but at the same time I would have loved to see them. But I have to accept what I have now."
His attitude should be an inspiration to others when he takes up his new position with the North Western Health Board on a disability support unit to be located at new premises in Sligo town.