We Can’t Help Everyone (Yet)

A lot of people come to me for advice.

Some of them take it. They recognize that I’m not perfect—just a guy doing my best to share what I’ve learned. They understand that success takes a combination of preparation, persistence, and luck. They know that even failure is just part of the learning curve.

Others don’t take the advice. And when things don’t work out, they come back again and again, still stuck but not willing to change. Still others don’t even get that far. Instead, they spend most of the conversation telling me what they can’t do, or what they won’t do. These are the conversations that have been weighing on me lately.

Here are just a few things I’ve heard in the past few weeks:

• “I don’t do websites.”
• “I don’t want to do my business online. I just want to talk to somebody.”
• “I can’t do it online because it’s not accessible.”
• “I don’t use social media.”
• “I don’t bank online because I’m afraid it’s not secure.”

Now look, I get it. Technology can be overwhelming. It can be frustrating. Sometimes it’s confusing, sometimes it’s buggy, and sometimes it’s just plain not designed with blind people in mind. But here’s the hard truth: if you’re not willing to engage with technology, then we probably can’t help you. At least not right now.

Let me explain why.

The Real Cost of Refusing Technology

Paying people to do things for you is expensive. If you need someone to build your website, manage your calendar, run your social media, or answer your phone, you either need to pay them—or convince them to do it for free. That doesn’t scale.

Let’s say a nonprofit wants to grow. They rent a building. They hire a team. Eventually, if they want to help more people, they need another building, and another team. Growth becomes incredibly risky, and incredibly expensive. If it doesn’t work, people lose their jobs. Clients lose support. The organization might shut down entirely.

Technology changes that. Technology gives us leverage. A single video can reach thousands. A single online course can be used again and again. A website can answer questions 24/7, without anyone picking up the phone. And automation means that a small team—maybe even one or two people—can accomplish what used to take dozens.

People say technology kills jobs. I don’t believe that. I think it saves jobs. It lets people focus on the parts of their work that matter most—things like personal connection, creativity, coaching, and care—while automating the repetitive tasks that eat up time and energy.

And technology keeps getting better. Easier. More accessible. Not perfect, no. But when it works, it works really well.

We Started With Nothing

When we started Penny Forward, we didn’t have money. We didn’t have wealthy donors. We didn’t have a big organization backing us up. We had an idea. And we had technology.

I built our website. I set up our course platform. I worked through the night on weekends and during quiet moments when I couldn’t sleep, because I believed in what this could mean for the blind community.

We built something from nothing. And we used technology to do it.

So when someone tells me they won’t use a website, or they can’t use email, or they don’t trust online banking—I feel a mix of sadness and frustration. Because I know what’s possible. And I know that they’re choosing to stay stuck.

If You’re Not Growing, the World Will Pass You By

We’re not trying to leave anyone behind. But the world is moving. Fast. And a lot of that movement is happening online.

If you’re not learning how to use technology, you’re not just waiting for Penny Forward. You’re waiting for everything—banking, business, education, communication, even healthcare.

That’s not fair, I know. But it’s the truth. And choosing to avoid technology because it’s hard, or frustrating, or unfamiliar, won’t stop that reality. It just makes it harder for you to keep up.

And keeping up matters. Because it’s expensive to be blind. Until the world becomes more equitable (and I’m not holding my breath), you’re going to need financial resources to live the life you want.

So here’s what I hope for you:

• I hope you build financial wealth, so you can pay for what you need, choose how you live, and support others when they need it.
• I hope you build intellectual wealth, so you know how to find opportunities, solve problems, and adapt to change.
• I hope you build a wealth of relationships, because the right people make the hard stuff easier.

And above all, I hope you build a wealth of choices—so that you don’t have to say “I can’t” anymore.

If You’re Willing to Try, We’ll Help You

If you want to learn from Penny Forward, technology isn’t optional—it’s essential. Our courses, workshops, podcasts, and tools all live online. We need you to meet us there.

That doesn’t mean you need to be a tech expert. Far from it. If you’re rusty, we’ll try to help you get up to speed. And if we can’t help you directly, we’ll do our best to point you to someone who can.

But if you refuse to engage with technology—if you dig in and say “I don’t” or “I won’t” every time someone tries to show you a new way—then as much as it hurts me to say this: we can’t help you.

Not yet.

Maybe someday, we’ll have the funding and the staff to meet people wherever they are, with in-person services and individualized support. But we’re not there. Not today. Today, we’re a small, scrappy team using the tools we have to help as many people as possible. And those tools live online.

Choose Growth

Every day, we face choices. Do we stay the same, or do we grow? Do we complain about what we can’t do, or do we find one small thing we can learn?

I hope you’ll choose growth.

I hope you’ll choose to lean in, not opt out.

I hope you’ll choose to use the tools we’ve built—because we built them for you.

And I hope that one day soon, when someone asks you what you can’t do, you’ll say, “I used to say that too. But then I learned.”