My story is probably pretty boring to some. I am a husband, father and content creator who just happens to be visually impaired. I spend my days at home, making sure my kids are taken care of, making podcasts and videos, preparing dinner and so forth. It’s not the most exciting life, but it is my life. And, I think it displays what being a VIP is all about. It’s more than trying to do “amazing” things as a blind person. It is about getting up every day and living…
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We all have those definitive moments, those HUGE moments, in life when you just know things will forever be divided into before and after. Meeting our daughter Primrose was one of those moments. Our family of four became a family of five through international adoption in January 2016. We saw a photo and description of our daughter on a Facebook adoption advocacy group and instantly fell in love. The photo showed her as an infant, her eyes the most piercing silver/blue – and the description included her diagnosis, blindness from…
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My name is Adam – I’m 24 years old and have been blind since birth. Since the fall of 2016, I have worked at Mercedes-Benz of Boston and in the corporate office for Herb Chambers, a company with 56 dealerships that sell and service a wide variety of foreign and domestic vehicles across New England. The dealership where I work in Somerville, Massachusetts, is one of three Mercedes-Benz dealers in the Herb Chambers group. I have been interested in cars since I was in preschool. I have always been curious…
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My name is Julia and my roots are in Zumarraga, a small town close to San Sebastian in the Basque Country, north of Spain. I’m 51 years old and a member of the Spanish National Association of Blind People (ONCE). Since I was 8, I have had progressive myopia magna – this means I only have frontal vision. I don’t have reflections and I have a very short visual field. I inherited this from my mother. Each year since then, I have been losing vision, some years more than others….
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Hello I’m Casandra, better known as CaspHer. I was born in Miami and grew up in Massachusetts. I’ve lived with blindness and deafness my entire life. Most people would assume that I couldn’t do much – but once they’ve spent twenty minutes with me, they realize that I am more than capable. I am an assistive technology trainer for the deafblind and seniors in Massachusetts. I enjoy teaching technology and seeing people succeed. My background was not in blindness at all. In fact, it was in fine arts. I realized…
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The holiday season is here – and BlindNewWorld wants to help you figure out the coolest and most accessible gifts for your blind and visually impaired friends and family. From apparel to toys to tech, we’ve compiled eight of our favorite gifts for everyone on your list! Two Blind Brothers Apparel This clothing company – created by Bradford and Bryan Manning, brothers who were both diagnosed with a retinal disease – pays special attention to the details in each of their garments. Their original collection is uniquely identified with a small metal…
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2017 was a big year for assistive technology for the blind and visually impaired. While some products are still in development, it’s exciting to see so much in the works! We’ve compiled 10 of our favorite tech advancements from the last year. Which ones are you most excited about? Wayband by Wear.Works This wearable device guides users to a specified location using vibration. The Wayband helps the visually impaired navigate the world unassisted, and it was used during the New York City Marathon for the first time in…
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My name is Juliet Cody. I am an immigrant from Colombia. When I was a child, to stay in touch with our strong ties to the tropical beaches of the Caribbean, my parents moved our family to the beautiful beaches of Southern California, where I still reside. I have a daughter, and taught pre-kindergarten until blindness struck. Despite this unexpected life event, I chose not to sit in the dark. Instead, I turned on the light of independence – I became involved in the blind community and returned to school…
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There is a perception, especially amongst sighted people, that Braille is yesterday’s format. Printed Braille books are cumbersome and expensive, and after all, more and more books are being released in audio format. For many sighted people, the only contact with Braille is on elevator signs or the keys of an ATM. That perception, however, would be incorrect – and here’s what we’re doing about it. Research tells us that blind people who can read Braille are significantly more likely to be employed. Indeed, in the UK, many blind people…
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My name is NovaCain and I’m a blind hip-hop artist. I haven’t always been a hip-hop artist – or even blind for that matter. I started losing my sight at 17 due to being over-medicated by a doctor shortly after being placed in a group home. I lost my vision completely by my 18th birthday. The same year I lost my sight, I lost my dad. Growing up a middle child of five brothers was exciting and adventurous. I grew up playing basketball and football before I lost my vision….
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