Alumnus says he leans on his faith as he leads state agency for the blind and vision impaired

As the current commissioner for the Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired (DBVI), Liberty University alumnus Dr. Rick Mitchell (‘84, ’85), works to empower those who are disabled to reach their full potential.

Mitchell, who has been blind since the age of 14, uses his personal experience as well as passion for helping others succeed to spark positive change.

Mitchell graduated with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast management, with a minor in psychology.

“The strong Christian influence that I knew the university would have on my life brought me (to Liberty),” he said. “And I knew that the academics were certainly excellent in quality, so I wanted to receive my college education in that type of environment.”

Following graduation, Mitchell enrolled at Liberty Baptist Seminary to earn his master’s in general counseling. While still in school, he served as a counselor for Dr. Jerry Falwell Sr.’s “Old Time Gospel Hour” TV ministry.

Mitchell first served at DBVI as a vocational rehabilitation counselor. He has spent the last 36 years working for the state of Virginia, continuing to move up the ranks. In May, he was appointed by Virginia Gov. Youngkin to be the commissioner of DBVI.

“That particular moment was very humbling,” Mitchell said, referring to when he received a lapel pin from Youngkin after his appointment. “I found the governor very easy to talk to and very interested in our work. It was in a lot of ways very humbling to be asked to lead an agency.”

The agency offers the necessary services and resources to individuals who are blind, deaf/blind and low vision “so that they’re able to obtain their desired levels of employment, education, and personal independence,” he said.

Mitchell’s daily work strongly resembles that of someone with perfect vision, with only a few alterations. Using a screen reader program called JAWS (Job Access With Speech), Mitchell can successfully complete any work required of him. This includes use of the Office 365 suite and use of his iPhone through voiceover technology.

Mitchell said his personal experience helps him serve the clients he interreacts with daily.

“Ever since I lost my vision, I have always been an achiever, and so I always pushed to do things that other people may not think somebody that’s blind could do,” he said. “With that, I’m able to encourage and also relate to their struggles. When some have thoughts of ‘I can’t do this,’ I always tell them, ‘Yes, you can. But you’ve got to make that decision to do it. You’ve got to come to the “I will do it,” and then you go out and achieve it.’ It’s just being that cheerleader of sort for folks and giving them a word of encouragement, a sense of believing in them before they believe in themselves and helping to instill that belief in them over time.”

As he encounters those who need advice during times of uncertainty and confusion, Mitchell said he chooses to lean on his faith and trust God to give him the answers.

“God has gifted me with a listening ear,” he said. “So, I often will listen and just give people that word of encouragement that they need. And I know without a doubt that God’s the one that gives me those words. He’s the one that directs my paths and often my thoughts to where they need to be and gives me the wisdom to know the right thing to do and when to do it.”

In addition to his work with DBVI, Mitchell has also accrued years of experience as a counselor. He spent almost 17 years as a bi-vocational pastor and led a counseling ministry at a church in Bristol, Tenn. He has also earned two doctoral degrees, one in Christian counseling and the other in ministry.

“God had just given me that heart to minister to people, and I’ve done it in the church setting, and he also allows me to do it in my everyday work as a state employee of the state of Virginia,” Mitchell said.