When Jacoby Brown, a legally blind man, applied for a job at Walmart in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 2023, he decided to inform Brenda Draper, the store’s “people lead,” about his condition.

The 24-year-old overnight stocker was born with four separate eye conditions: hyperopia astigmatism, nystagmus, exotropia, and optic nerve atrophy. He has a visual acuity of 20/200, which means that he must be 20 feet away from what others see at a distance of 200 feet.

Finding a job was particularly challenging at times due to the disorder. Furthermore, he encountered some unfriendly folks. So, receiving the opportunity at Walmart came as a relief.

He told People, “I started off here as a zoner (an employee who

cleans up an area or zone in the store). That was just them accommodating me because of my legal blindness. And then, after a few months, I started stocking, which was really scary, but I kind of got the hang of it.”

Since then, he has shared his story on TikTok under the handle “theblindguy_,” to encourage those with impairments. He currently has over 16,000 followers.

Brown said he started making Snapchat videos while at Henderson State University, but he was bullied. He decided to channel that hostility by naming his account after one of the labels he was called to show people, “You call me this, but I don’t care.”

“I used to make funny videos on my Snapchat, and a lot of people would tell me … ‘Oh, you should create a TikTok,’ and I would never really get on TikTok,” he added. “Then I finally got on a little bit into COVID because I got bored, and I was just like, ‘Oh, well, maybe I’ll get on.’ … But I wasn’t really posting. And then I started to post. And then my videos kind [of didn’t] do well.”

But in November 2024, Brown explained that everything changed when he made the now-deleted TikTok during a break from one of his 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. shifts, talking about how important it was for people with disabilities to put themselves “out there.”

“I was walking through the fitting room, and I was just like, ‘Well, I want to create a TikTok about me being legally blind and an overnight stocker,’ ” he recalled. “I didn’t even know that the video was going to go viral, but it did.”

In just two hours, the post received over 20,000 views. He estimated that it received more than 300,000 views within a week and a half. Walmart’s chief people officer and executive vice president even posted the video to her LinkedIn page, complimenting him on his “hard work.”

Brown stated, “I knew that I would probably inspire people within my community, but to inspire other people who aren’t disabled as well, it made me really happy. It brought me a lot of joy.”

Brown now uses his account to talk about problems that he and others in his community face, such as being taken advantage of, discrimination, unemployment, and financial difficulties.

Brown, who had previously worked at Chick-fil-A and many factories, dropped out of college during his final year owing to mental health difficulties. According to him, he has had “some challenges at every job.”

“I would say that the difference about this job is that I feel, like I said, ‘Brenda, I look at this, [it has] always been different,’” he shared.

Draper, his boss, told People that Brown has been eager to work ever since his first interview. Despite some “bumps” along the way, she said he has made great progress.

“I’m really excited that he’s made it that long because even people without disabilities only make it a few weeks or a few months for various reasons,” she said. “For him to still be here and still enjoy what he does, that’s exciting.”

For the first time, Brown said he felt he was working at a place where he belonged. “Although it takes me a little bit longer than my peers to complete my task and things like that, they don’t make me feel bad about it,” he added.

Beyond his social media platform, he shares that he wants to go back to college to become a social worker to work with people with disabilities and help them find jobs.

He advised, “They’re really scared to just put themselves out there because they’re scared of people being mean and things like that. But I just say, ‘You may get 5, 6, 7 no’s, but just keep going because I promise you you’re going to get that yes.’ ”