Editorâs note: Are you an individual who is DeafBlind or interested in learning about deafblindness? George Stern, a deafblind Afro-Caribbean immigrant who’s interested in all things food, linguistic, and social justice, shares his perspective on living with deafblindess. Several lifetimes ago, during my long and illustrious career as the best class project ever (I routinely … Continued
Editorâs note: Amy Lynn Smith shares about Helen Kellerâs life and work in recognition of Helen Keller DeafBlind Awareness Week 2022, June 26- July 2. May we remember Helenâs legacy and recognize how, even today, those who are blind, low vision, or DeafBlind are influenced by her legacy. The story of Helen Keller has been … Continued
by Maribel Steel Editor’s note: June is Cataracts Awareness Month. According to the National Eye Institute (NEI), more than half of all Americans who are 80 or older either have cataracts or have had surgery to remove cataracts. My Story During my teenage years, I was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa (RP). After a time of … Continued
By Peggy Chong Editorâs note: in honor of Black History Month, we are sharing this post by Peggy Chong, aka The Blind History Lady, who received the prestigious Dr. Jacob Bolotin award from the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) in 2018 for her work on the âBlind History Lady Project.â âŻFor years, I have … Continued
by Elizabeth L. Sammons and Empish J. Thomas Every reader of this post has surely experienced forgetting names or failing to recognize someone. However, many sighted people can say, âBut I never forget a face.â Since our blindness community doesnât share this ability, we wanted to discuss issues around recognizing friends or identifying strangers. Elizabeth: … Continued
Should I laugh or cry? âYou sound nice, but if itâs drunken driving, I donât want to meet you.â This reply came in response to my ad on a dating site, including my mention that I do not drive. I had no idea my attempts to ease into disclosing my blindness would bring that response. … Continued
Have you ever thought about how people learn? As I have written on previously (for instance, in the blog Explore an Orchard with Your Child Who Is Blind or Visually Impaired), and as you have no doubt witnessed in your own learning endeavors and when teaching your child(ren), individuals learn when they are able to make connections. People arenât blank slates on which we simply download or impart information; individuals understand concepts … Continued
One of the things I enjoy about beginning a new year is the opportunity to think about a personal project, such as a new skill I can learn, or a direction Iâd like to step toward with a measure of courage and optimism for the year ahead. If I can find a quote that captures … Continued
“S U I C I D E” There, your computer didnât blow up. Your phone didnât burst into flames. I guess itâs no secret that people are afraid of blindness and, by extension, blind people. But what about suicide? If you want to empty a room in ten seconds flat, start talking about suicide! … Continued
The title of the book When You Canât Believe Your Eyes: Vision Loss & Personal Recovery immediately grabbed me. My curiosity was peaked because when you are dealing with a visual impairment you honestly canât believe what you are seeing all the time. In my 20+ years of total blindness, I have learned to depend on everything else but my vision such as my other senses, … Continued