Coming to the States for my higher education had been a possibility I began toying with in ninth grade. It was a nebulous thought, one which did not particularly mature for several years. I was quite busy negotiating the Indian education system: typing up my textbooks when accessible electronic material was unavailable, participating in every … Continued
Here’s why I started a YouTube channel for the blind/ low vision with over 50,000 subscribers.In 2013, I was creating videos for a mobile technology channel and decided to sneak in a video about how to get larger font on your mobile device. I realized there were several comments from Visually Impaired People (VIPs) thanking me … Continued
Imagine that you are assigned to an unfamiliar school for your student-teaching placement. Your vocational rehabilitation counselor has purchased the Picture Maker: Wheatley Tactile Diagramming Kit for your use in learning routes in the school and new community because he understands the benefit of this tool. Now imagine that you meet your new orientation and mobility (O&M) … Continued
Zelda Gebhard doesn’t identify as a person with low vision, because she’s so much more than that. “I’m a whole person,” she says. “Along with my career, I’m a wife, I’m a mother and a grandmother. I have a full life with interests and hobbies. I’m not that much different than a person who doesn’t … Continued
What if I told you there’s a place you can listen to individuals who are blind or low vision share about their current employment and how they prepared for it? There, you can ask your pressing questions—how did they know the career field is what they wanted to pursue; how did they navigate disclosing blindness/ … Continued
Editor’s note: Originally published in APH InTouch’s Nov-Dec, 2022 Issue, Leslie Weilbacher shares about competing in horse back riding/ dressage when blind or low vision. Fair Play: Horse Back Riding/ Dressage when Blind or Low Vision Right before everything shut down in March 2020, I bought a horse. Winston is a lovely old quarter horse … Continued
Editor’s note: Natalie Charles, a young adult who is blind, reflects on learning braille and participating in a Braille Bee as a student. Natalie dreams of becoming a braille teacher, a braille transcriber, or opening Braille Learning Center. My Braille Journey As far as I can remember, I started learning braille when I was 2 … Continued
Editor’s note: After obtaining her first dog guide, Alexis realized she did so because her peers had dog guides. Alexis reminds others who are blind or low vision who are considering dog guides to think through whether a dog guide is a good fit for their current season of life. Dog Guide Peer Pressure: When … Continued
Steve Dresser had a solid career working for 30 years as a computer programmer for the state of Connecticut. But after he retired from the position in 2002, he started his own business: Jennco Productions, which is dedicated to producing high-quality braille materials from electronic documents. Blind since birth due to retinopathy of prematurity, Steve … Continued
Living on an island in the Caribbean surrounded by beaches may sound like living an eternal vacation. And indeed, most of the time it is. But there are also some exceptions, such as being in the path of hurricanes. In 2017, Puerto Rico experienced the direct impact of Hurricane Maria, a category 5 hurricane that … Continued