Hi my name is Clarke. I’m blind, and I’m also a visual artist. Art is my life – from an early age, all I ever wanted to be was an artist. My mum used to say that I could draw before I could walk. For me, it was escapism because, from the age of 4, I started to lose sight in my right eye. I was going to the hospital every week, getting patches and drops in my good eye in an effort to help, but it never did. I…
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I’m Giorgio and my family and I run a pizzeria here in Toronto called Frank’s Pizza House. I’m married with six kids – and there’s never a dull moment, I can promise you that. My goal has always been to make pizzas and share my passion for pizza-making until I can retire. Now, in addition to that, I’m looking forward to many new adventures because I’m losing my vision to advanced glaucoma. It’s sounds bad, but it’s not – I was diagnosed with glaucoma in my late teens. Now, at…
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I’m Nikki Watson, a blind horse rider and general horse enthusiast – I’m 53 and I live in Devon in the UK with my husband Hal, my guide dog Quincey, and our three horses Florence, Peregrine and Mr. Mayo. I was born with a recessive form of Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), therefore I have never had good eyesight, and have been totally blind for a long time now. This has caused me a few problems with my equestrian aspirations. But while some people might think you can be blind or you…
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During a recent Zoom meeting with our team, a colleague joked that her biggest concern in the current crisis was that she was having a hard time getting wine delivered. While we all laughed at her comical cry for help, the underlying message was a wake up call for me. That colleague, like many of our colleagues here at Perkins, is blind. If anyone should have been clued into what she, and others in our community, may be needing help with during this crisis, it should have been me. Yet…
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“Pow!” This is the sound heard when my aluminum baseball bat strikes an oversized softball that beeps. I quickly drop the bat and run toward first base as fast as my legs can carry me. I slide into the buzzing base a split-second before the fielder can get me out. “Yes!” I exclaim, knowing I’ve just scored a run for my team. This might sound like an ordinary softball game with some odd beeps and buzzes involved. It’s anything but that. The above description is an example of myself playing…
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I am a blind traveler and scientist and I am just trying to do my own thing. I stand in a crowd, surrounded by the noise of luggage rolling past, different languages being spoken, and the feel of a slight breeze on my face as people pass me by. I have just landed in London and have chosen to decline the assistance that is offered to blind individuals, like myself, although I do not know the way. I stop for a moment and focus on the sounds around me, identifying…
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People with visual impairments are navigating the Covid 19 pandemic right alongside their sighted friends and family members. At the same time, they’re also faced with some unique challenges of their own. To raise awareness of some of these issues, and to learn how communities can support their blind neighbors and loved ones during this uncertain time, we caught up with Perkins School for the Blind’s Jerry Berrier and Kate Katulak. Answers have been lightly edited for clarity. What are some of the challenges you’re facing in day-to-day life as…
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For me, life is blurry. One day, while waiting on the Light Rail platform, a man came up to me and proceeded to wave his hand in front of my face. Now, I’m no stranger to men trying to get my attention in obnoxious ways, but I knew the main reason why he was doing this—to see if I am “really blind.” I had my white cane with me, but I had no service dog, and I wasn’t wearing those tell-tale, black sunglasses you often see in movies. I was…
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I was born deaf, but with 20/20 vision. I’ve always wanted to be an actor. My favorite actors were John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Burt Lancaster, Jon Voight, Robert Mitchum, Doug McClure, and Kirk Douglas. When I was a kid, I played sports like football, basketball, and track. When I was at the Arizona State School for the Deaf and Blind, I was a good player, but I kept thinking about wanting to act! I went to a community college for a while in Arizona. I made the honor roll one…
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Over the years, I have grown into an independent, successful young woman with dreams of helping other blind and visually impaired children grow into successful adults. This wouldn’t have been possible without the help of the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind, my family, Iowa Department for the Blind, Hadley Institute for the Blind and Visually Impaired, National Federation of the Blind and other blind services that have helped me. These services helped me figure out who I was as a visually impaired person, and I’m hoping that what…
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