Erodio Diaz

Erodio Diaz
Owner, E. Diaz Real Estate Associates

Erodio Diaz is your typical, successful small business owner. He listens to his customers who trust him with their business, he has earned the respect of his peers for his keen business sense and industry knowledge, and when others told him "it couldn't be done" he didn't believe them. He persevered.

He overcame all the obstacles, and then some, of starting up a new business. Since starting his career 38 years ago, Diaz has built successful commercial and residential real estate businesses in South Florida. And, he's done it without seeing a single piece of property.

Erodio Diaz is blind. He lost his sight completely at age 13 after he fell off a bicycle and hit his head on a curb.

"Being blind is not an impairment; it's an inconvenience," he says.

Diaz, a native of Cuba, uses wireless technology to help keep him productive on-the-go. Even before wireless service was readily available to the masses, Diaz used a mobile phone to conduct business. In 1969, his first phone cost $1,839 and had 10 channels. Today, Diaz uses a Nokia with service from AT&T and TALKS software. TALKS allows Diaz to change ring tones for different callers, hear spoken voice messages and send an email or fax. A portable Braille display also can be attached.

"I guess you could say I had the foresight to see how wireless applications could help me in my business," says Diaz. "I was one of the first people in line when BellSouth Mobility (now AT&T) first turned on service in 1983 and have been a loyal customer for the past twenty years. Wireless technology helped give me independence, and a future."

At one point, Diaz didn't see much of a future. He had difficulty getting hired because he was blind. He realized that to support himself, he would need to create his own future. He met a real estate broker who got him interested in the business and then reached out to the University of Miami, where a professor volunteered his time to help audiotize the course work. The tape recorder weighed 50 pounds.

Diaz quickly showed a talent and a passion for selling.

"I Iike to make someone's dreams come true," he says.

Now, most of Diaz's clients return to him and refer others. Last year, E. Diaz Real Estate Associates sold nearly $7 million worth of residential and commercial properties.

Learn more about TALKS software and other disability resources.