Anna Maria lives permanently on the beautiful island of Tinos and has been living with visual impairment since the age of 18.

She initially began her studies at the University of Applied Sciences in Public Relations, but due to lack of support, she decided to change direction. Embracing her entrepreneurial spirit and drawing from her long-standing experience at the family-run hotel on the island, she dove into the world of tourism marketing and management at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

Anna Maria is skilled in using computers, Android and iOS devices, and takes every opportunity to use tech as a tool for independence and creativity.

She has represented Greece in European programs for visually impaired youth in Athens, Belgium, Berlin, and Italy. In 2021, she participated in the “Liminal Access Force” program and has since been an active member of the accessibility quality control team in cultural events: theatre, exhibitions, and festivals. In 2022, alongside Altera Vita, she developed online courses for visually impaired individuals on how to use smart devices. For five years, she worked with the Municipality of Exomvourgo, where she played a key role in organizing the Tinos Festival: planning events, writing press releases, coordinating artistic collaborations, and managing communication materials. It was an experience that shaped her professionally and deepened her love for culture and the people behind it.

During the 2020 lockdown, she launched the group “Discover by Cane” and began training to become a tour guide for experiential travel specifically designed for people with visual impairments.

She is a founding member and the current President of the association “AROGI”, which operates in the Cyclades, supporting visually impaired individuals through educational programs, awareness campaigns, and meaningful empowerment initiatives.

For Anna Maria, every obstacle is a potential bridge. Every challenge is an invitation to act. And each day is a new opportunity to help build a world where everyone, sighted or not, has a place, a voice, and a future.