My name is TJ – and I play video games completely blind. I played video games my whole life, everything from Halo to Call of Duty. I have been blind since the age of 15 and now spend my time playing video games without any vision, doing what I can to help others like myself experience the joy of gaming with friends. Oftentimes people think playing video games is something where sight is needed, other times people think I can’t see, so why try. I decided to try after losing…
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I started to notice my vision going when I was an undergraduate student at the age of 19. I didn’t really know how to deal with it and didn’t know what support was out there, so I tried to ignore it and keep moving on with my life. I was diagnosed with cone-rod dystrophy, a degenerative condition that I was assured there was no treatment for and it was unknown how it would affect my vision loss going forward. When I was 28, I went into a depression, becoming convinced…
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Imagine being in the dark on a stormy night. Everything is out and there’s nothing else to do but sit in the dark. All of a sudden, you pick up a book to read. However you know that you can’t see the book because it’s dark. But it’s different because this book has a special quality. You open the book and realize that there are “dotz” in it! These “dotz” are known as braille! You’re happy because you don’t have to use your eyes to read, and you won’t be…
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Let’s face it, the world will end someday. Zombies and nuclear energy compete for the top method of human demise – but Netflix’s Bird Box has other ideas. In a world overrun by creatures that cause insanity upon first glimpse, it’s only natural that whoever hasn’t seen these beings would attempt to survive by using their vision as little as possible. The story follows one woman as she survives against all odds in order to get herself and her children to safety, training the kids to listen for danger and…
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I have always been close with my father. I may make fun of his big belly now, but we are best friends. He’s my hero and he has always encouraged me to do anything. Before I was even born, my father had dreams of me becoming a pro surfer. He even named me after champion surfer Derek Ho. However, I was born blind due to congenital glaucoma. It goes with out saying that surfing is a dangerous sport. In split seconds, a crashing wave can slam a surfer against the…
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2018 has been another incredible year in the BlindNewWorld. We love hearing – and sharing – your stories of adventure, triumph, love, family, learning and so much more. These stories are what keep us going – and what keep our community strong. And we don’t want you to miss a single one of them. So to close out the year, we’re bringing together the full collection of 2018 #MyBlindStory posts. Get to know each and every one of the people who have shared their stories with us this year. And…
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Hello, my name is Holly. I’m a disability and lifestyle blogger from the UK. My story is nothing unique – I went through mainstream education, graduated university, I love all things beauty, fashion, concerts, and all the usual girly stuff. Oh, and I’m blind. I get up every day, go to work, see friends and do blogging/film content for my YouTube channel. I’m blind, but I live a pretty normal and independent life. I have things that I want to achieve. I have goals and aspirations – and I think…
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I have been legally blind since birth with my most recent diagnosis being photoreceptor disorder. From my understanding, this is a catch-all, because they cannot determine a specific disease. The number one question I am most often asked is what I can see. This is a very difficult question since I have always seen this way. I can see extremely vague details within five to ten feet. This means I can usually tell where people are, but I cannot pick up on facial expressions or other nonverbal communications. Beyond ten…
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When you lose your sight, it can make you feel incredibly lonely. The feeling of isolation, the snatch of your independence and the knock of your confidence with everyday life is a massive impact. The overwhelming feeling of grief is awful. You yearn for what you have lost, unknown whether it will return or not. At least that’s how we felt. I’m Laura. My first noticeable decline was February 2016 – the cause of which is still unknown. As time went on, I eventually lost my career as a lab…
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A little bit about me: I am an 18-year-old high-school senior from St. Paul, Minnesota. I have Stargardt Disease and I’m significantly visually impaired. A couple of years ago I started a non-profit called Louie’s Vision that works to help kids with visual impairments find adventure. About a year ago, I approached my parents and told them I wanted to do the Ironman, a one-day race that consists of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride, and a full 26.2-mile marathon. I was just 17 years old, had no experience…
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