When I was really young, I knew I was going to grow up to be the next great Boston sports athlete. I was thinking Mo Vaughn or Drew Bledsoe. Mind you, this was back when we loved our teams but they never won anything. My dreams changed when I was eight years old and I began to lose my vision. It started in my left eye, then moved to my right. By the time I reached middle school, my dream of playing professional sports came to a sharp end. For…
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I have always been so curious about how the world works. I remember I had a keen mind for deduction even when I was a young kid, listening to audiobooks of Sherlock Holmes. The detective said he could tell the height of a person by listening to his or her footsteps. I became more inspired and more interested in science by watching The Magic School Bus and Bill Nye the Science Guy and then by the work of Marie Curie and my mentors throughout my journeys. I loved all I…
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I am completely blind, but was blessed with many years of some vision to store memories of colors and objects in my world. When I take a walk with my husband, he will tell me about the deer in our backyard. I will walk to the place where the deer stood. I will feel the hoof prints, find the direction that the deer traveled and even how fast the deer was running by measuring the distance between hoof prints. From the information, I bring up a memory of a deer…
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My name is Olivia, and I’m the founder of Attention and Action, an international movement to raise awareness around the barriers and inequalities people with disabilities face in society. This week, from January 11th to the 16th, we are running a campaign called #EndAbleism to raise awareness about how ableism affects people with disabilities, spark discussion and put an end to it. #EndAbleism is open to all ages – we want to get people talking about ableism and to work toward collective action to end it. We’re asking participants to…
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What a year, huh? The good news is that, even with everything that’s happening out there in the real world, we have a strong, supportive community to help us keep it together and keep going here in the #BlindNewWorld. As always, we wanted to take an opportunity to reflect on and highlight all of the incredible stories that have been shared with us this year. 2020 brought us personal insight from artists, musicians, athletes, innovators, actors, scientists, content creators, professionals, bright young adults, chefs, rock-star parents – as well as…
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Happy holidays, season’s greetings and all the other fa-la-la we hear this time of year. It’s been an interesting year. Between kiddos at home 24/7, working from home, a worldwide pandemic, and – oh, yeah, did we mention kiddos at home 24/7? – some of us may be a bit Grinchy. The Bad Blind Moms have your back. We are bringing you a gift guide to send to relatives, friends and, of course, significant others. With the help from the virtual mom squad, here’s a finely curated gift guide we…
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I’m Stacy Cervenka – and I’m a Bad Blind Mom. From the moment I found out I was pregnant with my first child, I’ve pretty much been a hot mess. Between three complicated pregnancies, several years of 2 a.m. feedings, dragging the kids around on public transportation to endless school and community activities – all while working full-time – I don’t think I’ve had a decent night’s sleep in eight years. Also, the fact that my husband and I are both blind has not exactly made the journey more convenient….
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My name is Bryce Weiler. I was born almost four months premature, and shortly after my birth – due too much light or oxygen in the hospital – I developed an eye condition called retinopathy of prematurity, which caused me to become blind. Today, I’m the cofounder of The Beautiful Lives Project, a nonprofit that helps people with disabilities across the United States live their dreams in sports, performing arts, visual arts, nature and more. A Lifelong Love of Sports… During my time at the University of Evansville from 2010 through…
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My name is Jared. I was born blind with no useful vision. Today, I am employed full-time as a Senior Software Engineer – a job I couldn’t do if I hadn’t learned braille. I am also married and a father to two young children, both of whom are sighted. Because I can read braille, I am able to read them bedtime stories and pass along to them my love for the written word. My parents and teachers deserve much of the credit for my being braille-literate today. They insisted that…
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When I was 22, my senses narrowed to four; and really, my sense of smell has never been that great, so, it became more like three senses. And crikey, what’s a girl to do? Several infections slammed my body simultaneously. I was expected to die, but as all my independent ladies can attest to, we tend to be survivors. Sitting among family and friends, I became a brave soul and was often eulogized. With raised brows, I said, “Sure,” and sauntered towards my future. The future was unclear, a bit…
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