A White Room of Peace: A blind boy's struggle with abuse and finding his purpose

Joe Secrist was born with a rare condition called coloboma, which means that part of one or more structures inside an unborn baby’s eye does not fully develop during pregnancy. A coloboma occurs in about 1 in 10,000 births. He was not diagnosed until his early childhood and was considered the clumsy boy who crashed his bike.


This is Joe’s story and his account of life during his years of abuse and neglect. Once sent away, his abuse continued at the Indiana School for the Blind. Joe has kept his silence until now. To come clean and tell his story of sexual abuse, struggle, and triumph, Joe wants his story to encourage others who have been failed by the system and to help them recognize their worth.


Once told he would never achieve his goals, Joe went on to become a blind skydiving, martial arts champion, driver, EMT, and triathlete. Today, he uses his disability to help others achieve their goals and dreams.