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Accessibility

Tag Archives: Education

  1. Are Education Options Truly Accessible for All?

    October 20, 2021 - By Palitha Bandara

    You must be familiar with the term “Education for All.” This has been used as a slogan by the rulers of various countries in the world to demonstrate their enthusiasm and dedication for educational development. In reality, it is a camouflage in some parts of the developing world. Here, I believe it is relevant to share my experiences with the readers that blind people in Sri Lanka are being confronted and limited in their educational pursuits. It is a heartbreaking situation. For instance, some blind students complete thirteen years of…

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  2. The Blind Werewolf: How Blindness Changed Me

    August 11, 2021 - By Andrew Sydlik

    Like a werewolf, my life been a story of transformations. From a poor visually impaired kid in a Pennsylvania steel mill town afraid he would never achieve anything, into a man whose life is full of purpose and meaning. From a boy who tried to pass as sighted, afraid of who he was, into a man ferociously declaring his blindness. I’ve done many things my younger self would not have believed possible. I have a PhD in English literature and Disability Studies. I have published and presented my research around…

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  3. Evolution and Inclusive Language: Creating a New Term for Visual Disabilities

    June 16, 2021 - By Brian Switzer

    The terms we use carry with them significance. They can denote power and strength, or they can also denote weakness and other negative biases.  As a society, we have become more aware of the power of language when describing people who may identify in ways that are marginalized. Even better, we have been adopting language created by those people themselves.  I am a DeafBlind person. This is just one aspect of who I am – I’m also a husband and soon-to-be dad, a graduate student, an instructor at Perkins School…

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  4. Dance Beyond Boundaries

    June 2, 2021 - By Samantha Ambrico-Custer

    I open my eyes but see nothing. I feel the smooth marley floor under my feet and gently move my toe over the tactile marker on the ground. The music begins to play, and light begins to flood my field of vision. For a moment, I am disoriented. I take a few steadying breaths and begin to move. I trust my body. I trust my knowledge of the stage. I allow my proprioceptive instincts to carry me; these instincts let me know how far and which direction I move. With…

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  5. See Us: a Project 10 Years in the Making

    March 24, 2021 - By Jon Marin

    I’m Jon Marin, author of the soon-to-be-released book See Us, a photographic journey that follows six visually impaired young adults as they balance their lives among work, home, and school in New York City. I had the pleasure of connecting with these students during their time at Career Discovery Project, the program I lead at City Access New York. Building a career program that works for students When I was informed that I would take over the Career Discovery Project in 2014, I was petrified. Too many negative thoughts were…

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  6. Breaking Down Barriers to Become a Blind Scientist

    February 8, 2021 - By Mona Minkara, Ph.D.

    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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  7. #MyBlindStory 2020: Reflecting on this year in the #BlindNewWorld

    December 30, 2020 - By The BlindNewWorld Team

    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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  8. Rock Bottom, Then Rocking the Road to Recovery

    July 29, 2020 - By Ashley Purdy

    Trigger warning: this post contains mentions of drug/alcohol use, suicide and self-harm   My name is Ashley. I’m 21 years old and I became blind at the age of 17 from a drug overdose. On November 1, 2016, I attempted suicide and was officially dead for 17 minutes. Ever since then, I’ve been learning how to be a blind person and cope with the reality of what I did to myself. As the years have gone on, I have started to understand and accept myself. I have begun to realize…

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  9. A Digital Content Creator Defined Only by Her Dreams

    July 15, 2020 - By Gabriella Mendonca

    My name is Gabriella Mendonca and I am a digital content creator. A singer. A college student majoring in communications in digital media. A daughter. This is my story – because my disability does not define who I am. I was born with vision, but lost my sight at the age of 18 months due to a tumor on my optic nerve. Losing my vision has never stopped me from achieving my goals and chasing after my dreams. I have always attended mainstream schools instead of the schools created for…

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  10. #MyBlindStory 2019: An Amazing Year in Review

    December 16, 2019 - By The BlindNewWorld Team

    Your stories are the foundation of the #BlindNewWorld community – and there is no limit to who can join us here. Our 2019 contributors came to us from all over the U.S. – and around the world. They’re stars from Hollywood and hip-hop. Champion athletes. Savvy young adults. Internationally recognized gamers. Eloquent bloggers. Published poets. Accessibility-minded inventors. Talented craftspeople. Passionate artists. Innovative businesspeople. Determined doctors! Staunch advocates and committed allies. And above all, they are change-makers. These are people who are willing to share their voices and their stories to…

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