{"id":41538,"date":"2026-03-05T17:33:55","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T22:33:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/?p=41538"},"modified":"2026-04-02T23:40:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T03:40:15","slug":"this-access-alumnus-didnt-let-a-visual-impairment-keep-him-from-his-passion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/this-access-alumnus-didnt-let-a-visual-impairment-keep-him-from-his-passion\/","title":{"rendered":"This ACCESS Alumnus Didn\u2019t Let A Visual Impairment Keep Him From His Passion"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Pietra Romano<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2010, Irving Alvarado was driving to visit his family in Doral when he suddenly lost his vision.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was passing some streetlights and at the corner on the left there was a school and some lights were on to indicate that students were going to start leaving school,\u201d said Alvarado, who was 42 at the time. \u201cI had to reduce my speed to 10 miles per hour and that\u2019s where I, without any symptoms, lost my vision.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Doctors would soon discover a tumor in his brain that impacted his sight. During the next four years, Alvarado, who was a chef at the time, would undergo seven surgeries.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI thought I had lost my soul, my mind,\u201d Alvarado said. \u201cI did not know I was a cook, a chef, that I worked doing so many things for so many years.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After various hardships, he rediscovered his love for the culinary arts. In 2021, he landed a job as an assistant prep cook at the Andaz Hotel through ACCESS at Miami Dade College.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Five years later, Alvarado and the hotel were honored with the Employer Recognition Award from the Florida Department of Education at a ceremony on Feb. 19 at the Embassy Suites next to Miami International Airport.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Andaz Hotel was recognized for hiring visually impaired people and accommodating them in the workplace. Alvarado was recognized for his accomplishments.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was very emotional to know how far he\u2019s [come] to get his name,\u201d said Diana Herrera, Job Developer at ACCESS.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Starting Over<\/b><\/p>\n

Alvarado, a Venezuelan national, immigrated to the United States in 1995. He took up a job as a dishwasher at a sushi restaurant called Miyako.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe used to say that he could even burn water,\u201d said Yracelis Alvarado, Irving\u2019s sister. \u201cHe had no interest in being in the kitchen.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Alvarado moved up the ranks and became a corporate chef at the restaurant. He discovered his passion for the culinary arts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

By 2010, Irving was a renowned chef in the Florida Keys. He managed five restaurants including <\/span>Brazale<\/span><\/i>\u00f1<\/span><\/i>a<\/span><\/i>, a Brazilian steak house he founded.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But in April of that year, he suddenly lost his vision and the surgeries he underwent caused other health complications.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After his third surgery, Irving developed hydrocephalus, which is an accumulation of water in the brain. The procedures and heavy medications weakened him\u2014he couldn\u2019t walk or feed himself anymore.<\/span><\/p>\n

The surgeons removed part of his frontal skull twice due to infections, leaving his brain exposed. He was in a coma for several weeks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When he woke up, Irving gradually lost his memory. He had to relearn everything\u2014who he was, how to speak and how to walk.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI closed my eyes at my house one day and tried to do everything without opening them to understand how he felt,\u201d Yracelis said. \u201cI learned his necessities and was able to truly help him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

After his final surgery in 2014, he began recovery.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rediscovering The Kitchen<\/b><\/p>\n

Irving\u2019s siblings worked to get him back on his feet. They looked for culinary colleges so he could become a chef again.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Irving, he was rejected by several schools because of his disability.<\/span><\/p>\n

Eventually, his siblings found the <\/span>Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired<\/span><\/a>, a non-profit organization that serves the visually impaired. Irving began classes for orientation and mobility around his neighborhood.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSince I met him, he\u2019s always been an independent traveler,\u201d said Samly Melendez, a mobility instructor at the Miami Lighthouse of the Blind. \u201cHe\u2019s always been wanting to be as independent as possible.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While at the Lighthouse, Yracelis discovered San Ignacio University in Doral, where Irvin graduated with honors as a culinary arts and chef training major in 2017.<\/span><\/p>\n

He made the Guinness World Records in 2015 for making the <\/span>world\u2019s biggest Quinoa salad<\/span><\/a> with a team of chefs from his school.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After graduating, he worked briefly at Tuttoria Di Campo, an Italian restaurant, while searching for a place to re-learn English.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2020, he began taking classes at West Campus. The Lighthouse introduced him to ACCESS at MDC where he met Herrera.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With her help, Alvarado searched for a new job.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t have much success at the beginning, it was really hard,\u201d Herrera said. \u201cWe tried many times\u2026I had to do variations of the resume, but every time [we met, we did] applications.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But then, Herrera came across an opportunity at the Andaz Hotel in Miami Beach. In April of 2021, Irving auditioned for the job.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Inside that kitchen, Herrera, Melendez and the cooking staff watched as Irving cut vegetables.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe started doing it so well that I was thinking, my goodness he looks like a surgeon,\u201d Herrera said. \u201cI was happy, proud and impressed.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After dazzling everyone, he was hired.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIrving is extremely responsible, friendly with his coworkers and is always willing to help,\u201d said Chef Jose Miguel, the hotel\u2019s supervisor. \u201cHe also had no problem in letting others help him due to his disability.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At first, Irving had a work area exclusively for him. Melendez or staff accompanied him until he got familiar with the environment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Six months later, he began working without anyone\u2019s assistance and was named employee of the year. He was also promoted to an assistant prep cook III.<\/span><\/p>\n

Currently, Andaz Hotel is negotiating with Interlight, a road safety system company based in Spain, to create an audio-based GPS system for Irving to better navigate the hotel.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGod has put me here to serve as a testimony,\u201d Irving said. \u201cThe sky is the limit, there is nothing, absolutely nothing, that is impossible to any of us.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Some of the interviews for this story were conducted in Spanish.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Click<\/i> here<\/i><\/a><\/span> to subscribe to our bi-weekly newsletter, The Hammerhead. For news tips, contact us at mdc.thereporter@gmail.com.\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Perseverance: Irving Alvarado was honored with the Employer Recognition Award from the Department of Education on Feb. 19. He has been working as an assistant prep cook at the Andaz Hotel since 2021. LUCAS DUARTE\/ THE REPORTER<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Pietra Romano In 2010, Irving Alvarado was driving to visit his family in Doral when he suddenly lost his vision.\u00a0 \u201cI was passing some streetlights and at the corner on the left there was a school and some lights were on to indicate that students were going to start leaving school,\u201d said Alvarado, who […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":123,"featured_media":41528,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,2747],"tags":[72],"class_list":{"0":"post-41538","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"category-west-campus","9":"tag-access-department"},"yoast_head":"\nThis ACCESS Alumnus Didn\u2019t Let A Visual Impairment Keep Him From His Passion<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Irving Alvarado, an assistant prep cook with a visual impairment, was recognized with the Employer Recognition Award from the Department of Education on Feb 19. He has worked at the Andaz Hotel in Miami Beach since 2021.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/this-access-alumnus-didnt-let-a-visual-impairment-keep-him-from-his-passion\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"This ACCESS Alumnus Didn\u2019t Let A Visual Impairment Keep Him From His Passion\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Irving Alvarado, an assistant prep cook with a visual impairment, was recognized with the Employer Recognition Award from the Department of Education on Feb 19. He has worked at the Andaz Hotel in Miami Beach since 2021.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/this-access-alumnus-didnt-let-a-visual-impairment-keep-him-from-his-passion\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Reporter: The Student Newspaper at Miami Dade College\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-05T22:33:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-03T03:40:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Untitled-design-1-4.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"The Reporter Staff\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"The Reporter Staff\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/this-access-alumnus-didnt-let-a-visual-impairment-keep-him-from-his-passion\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/this-access-alumnus-didnt-let-a-visual-impairment-keep-him-from-his-passion\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"The Reporter Staff\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/c16c336b25cc8404725bfc732aa83bdf\"},\"headline\":\"This ACCESS Alumnus Didn\u2019t Let A Visual Impairment Keep Him From His Passion\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-05T22:33:55+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-03T03:40:15+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/this-access-alumnus-didnt-let-a-visual-impairment-keep-him-from-his-passion\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1020,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/this-access-alumnus-didnt-let-a-visual-impairment-keep-him-from-his-passion\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/staging\\\/8357\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/Untitled-design-1-4.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Access Department\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\",\"West Campus\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/this-access-alumnus-didnt-let-a-visual-impairment-keep-him-from-his-passion\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/this-access-alumnus-didnt-let-a-visual-impairment-keep-him-from-his-passion\\\/\",\"name\":\"This ACCESS Alumnus Didn\u2019t Let A Visual Impairment Keep Him From His Passion\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/this-access-alumnus-didnt-let-a-visual-impairment-keep-him-from-his-passion\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/this-access-alumnus-didnt-let-a-visual-impairment-keep-him-from-his-passion\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/staging\\\/8357\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/Untitled-design-1-4.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-05T22:33:55+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-03T03:40:15+00:00\",\"description\":\"Irving Alvarado, an assistant prep cook with a visual impairment, was recognized with the Employer Recognition Award from the Department of Education on Feb 19. He has worked at the Andaz Hotel in Miami Beach since 2021.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/this-access-alumnus-didnt-let-a-visual-impairment-keep-him-from-his-passion\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/this-access-alumnus-didnt-let-a-visual-impairment-keep-him-from-his-passion\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/this-access-alumnus-didnt-let-a-visual-impairment-keep-him-from-his-passion\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/staging\\\/8357\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/Untitled-design-1-4.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/staging\\\/8357\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/Untitled-design-1-4.jpg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1080,\"caption\":\"Still Cookin: Irving Alvarado, a blind assistant prep cook at the Andaz Hotel in Miami Beach, lost his vision 16 years ago. LUCAS DUARTE\\\/ THE REPORTER\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/this-access-alumnus-didnt-let-a-visual-impairment-keep-him-from-his-passion\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/staging\\\/8357\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"This ACCESS Alumnus Didn\u2019t Let A Visual Impairment Keep Him From His Passion\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Reporter: The Student Newspaper at Miami Dade College\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"MDC The Reporter\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/staging\\\/8357\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/08\\\/R_reporter_logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/staging\\\/8357\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/08\\\/R_reporter_logo.png\",\"width\":315,\"height\":309,\"caption\":\"MDC The Reporter\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/c16c336b25cc8404725bfc732aa83bdf\",\"name\":\"The Reporter Staff\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4f993b01b1087a352f859e17f823551802ccfcc387f1f534c2f6c6bf1f158c29?s=96&d=wp_user_avatar&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4f993b01b1087a352f859e17f823551802ccfcc387f1f534c2f6c6bf1f158c29?s=96&d=wp_user_avatar&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4f993b01b1087a352f859e17f823551802ccfcc387f1f534c2f6c6bf1f158c29?s=96&d=wp_user_avatar&r=g\",\"caption\":\"The Reporter Staff\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdcthereporter.com\\\/staging\\\/8357\\\/author\\\/the-reporter\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"This ACCESS Alumnus Didn\u2019t Let A Visual Impairment Keep Him From His Passion","description":"Irving Alvarado, an assistant prep cook with a visual impairment, was recognized with the Employer Recognition Award from the Department of Education on Feb 19. He has worked at the Andaz Hotel in Miami Beach since 2021.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/this-access-alumnus-didnt-let-a-visual-impairment-keep-him-from-his-passion\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"This ACCESS Alumnus Didn\u2019t Let A Visual Impairment Keep Him From His Passion","og_description":"Irving Alvarado, an assistant prep cook with a visual impairment, was recognized with the Employer Recognition Award from the Department of Education on Feb 19. He has worked at the Andaz Hotel in Miami Beach since 2021.","og_url":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/this-access-alumnus-didnt-let-a-visual-impairment-keep-him-from-his-passion\/","og_site_name":"The Reporter: The Student Newspaper at Miami Dade College","article_published_time":"2026-03-05T22:33:55+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-04-03T03:40:15+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":1080,"url":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Untitled-design-1-4.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"The Reporter Staff","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"The Reporter Staff","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/this-access-alumnus-didnt-let-a-visual-impairment-keep-him-from-his-passion\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/this-access-alumnus-didnt-let-a-visual-impairment-keep-him-from-his-passion\/"},"author":{"name":"The Reporter Staff","@id":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c16c336b25cc8404725bfc732aa83bdf"},"headline":"This ACCESS Alumnus Didn\u2019t Let A Visual Impairment Keep Him From His Passion","datePublished":"2026-03-05T22:33:55+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-03T03:40:15+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/this-access-alumnus-didnt-let-a-visual-impairment-keep-him-from-his-passion\/"},"wordCount":1020,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/this-access-alumnus-didnt-let-a-visual-impairment-keep-him-from-his-passion\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Untitled-design-1-4.jpg","keywords":["Access Department"],"articleSection":["News","West Campus"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/this-access-alumnus-didnt-let-a-visual-impairment-keep-him-from-his-passion\/","url":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/this-access-alumnus-didnt-let-a-visual-impairment-keep-him-from-his-passion\/","name":"This ACCESS Alumnus Didn\u2019t Let A Visual Impairment Keep Him From His Passion","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/this-access-alumnus-didnt-let-a-visual-impairment-keep-him-from-his-passion\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/this-access-alumnus-didnt-let-a-visual-impairment-keep-him-from-his-passion\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Untitled-design-1-4.jpg","datePublished":"2026-03-05T22:33:55+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-03T03:40:15+00:00","description":"Irving Alvarado, an assistant prep cook with a visual impairment, was recognized with the Employer Recognition Award from the Department of Education on Feb 19. He has worked at the Andaz Hotel in Miami Beach since 2021.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/this-access-alumnus-didnt-let-a-visual-impairment-keep-him-from-his-passion\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/this-access-alumnus-didnt-let-a-visual-impairment-keep-him-from-his-passion\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/this-access-alumnus-didnt-let-a-visual-impairment-keep-him-from-his-passion\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Untitled-design-1-4.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Untitled-design-1-4.jpg","width":1920,"height":1080,"caption":"Still Cookin: Irving Alvarado, a blind assistant prep cook at the Andaz Hotel in Miami Beach, lost his vision 16 years ago. LUCAS DUARTE\/ THE REPORTER"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/this-access-alumnus-didnt-let-a-visual-impairment-keep-him-from-his-passion\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"This ACCESS Alumnus Didn\u2019t Let A Visual Impairment Keep Him From His Passion"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/","name":"The Reporter: The Student Newspaper at Miami Dade College","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/#organization","name":"MDC The Reporter","url":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/R_reporter_logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/R_reporter_logo.png","width":315,"height":309,"caption":"MDC The Reporter"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c16c336b25cc8404725bfc732aa83bdf","name":"The Reporter Staff","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4f993b01b1087a352f859e17f823551802ccfcc387f1f534c2f6c6bf1f158c29?s=96&d=wp_user_avatar&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4f993b01b1087a352f859e17f823551802ccfcc387f1f534c2f6c6bf1f158c29?s=96&d=wp_user_avatar&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4f993b01b1087a352f859e17f823551802ccfcc387f1f534c2f6c6bf1f158c29?s=96&d=wp_user_avatar&r=g","caption":"The Reporter Staff"},"url":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/author\/the-reporter\/"}]}},"cc_featured_image_caption":{"caption_text":"Still Cookin: Irving Alvarado, a blind assistant prep cook at the Andaz Hotel in Miami Beach, lost his vision 16 years ago. LUCAS DUARTE\/ THE REPORTER\r\n","source_text":"","source_url":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41538","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/123"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41538"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41538\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41700,"href":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41538\/revisions\/41700"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41528"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41538"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41538"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41538"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}