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| Name |
Eric Brun-Sanglard |
| City & State |
Los Angeles, CA |
| Company Name |
The Blind Designer, Inc. |
| Contact Info |
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| Disability |
Visual Impairment |
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| Company Description |
| The Blind Designer, Inc. is a company that buys, renovates, and
resells high-end homes in the Los Angeles California area. Eric Brun-Sanglard
works from what he calls an intuitive, organic sense and feel for
a home's light, air and space. He literally walks around each room,
feeling everything, sensing the energy of the space and identifying
blockages that inhibit flow and prevent the house from achieving its
fullest potential. He then visualizes his designs, and communicates
to his assistant ideas |
| that are put on Braille plans. He is currently juggling
several large-scale projects. He also has created his A&E Program
“Designing Blind” and another show where he works with
sighted couples having troubling communicating and negotiating their
shared design vision. |
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| How Did you Get Started? |
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| Eric Brun-Sanglard lost his sight over twelve years
ago, forced to not only cope with extensive modifications to his personal
life; he had to determine a viable course to his professional life.
As an advertising creative director, Eric traveled the world, working
in fashion and perfume advertising for clients like Chanel, Lancôme,
and Christian Dior. In 1995, His overwhelming quandary was what was
he going to do? His initial plan was to create a beauty-oriented Web
site, presenting beauty tips from experts. His actual career change,
Eric says, was something of an accident. He and his partner at that
time had been remodeling their home when he lost his sight. They continued
with the process and he discovered that although he lost one sense
he gained awareness of abilities and skills he had not know he possessed.
He discovered an innate ability to determine optimal flow in a space:
finding out how homes breathe and how rooms need to work together.
The creative process was so restorative that it eventually became
their business.However, embezzlement by his partner forced the sale
of his home in 1990. Alone, with no money, no job and a big depression,
he borrowed money from his family, bought his present house, hired
an assistant and spent six months renovating it. That led to his striking
out on his own as a designer |
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| How does your disability affect or impact your
business? |
| Eric's learned to use his senses in ways he had not
imagined: perceiving the height and size of room using sound, its
echo and his body as a measuring device. He utilizes specially designed
tools: talking tape measures, devices that read color, talking Palm
Pilot, computer software read text aloud programs (JAWS) and raised,
Braille-like blueprints. Developing a keen listening ability, and
an incredible visualization sense, Eric learned a new depth to communication.
His inner awareness has led to the development of an ability to translate
his perception of the energetic quality of both space and people into
artistic expression. |
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| Your Best Advice |
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| Stay open to opportunity. Don't let your thought and
fears lock you into anything. Don't be afraid to try something new,
something different. You never know where inspiration will come from.
There is a gift in everything if you stay open enough to find it.
"I had to lose everything, including my sight, to get my own
vision, and I want to share that with other people, to show them that
we only set our own limitations" |
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