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Tag Archives: Inclusion

  1. Miracle on Ice: Our Blind Story

    September 26, 2018 - By Doug Goist

    Ever since the era of the Founding Fathers, Washington, D.C. has been the de facto epicenter of political and social causes, playing host to millions of people from all walks of life gathering and marching across the striking backdrop of the National Mall. And earlier this year, another huge crowd gathered in another part of the city to support another important cause. Yes, there was lots of shouting, but this time it wasn’t in frustration or anger — it was shouts of jubilation and pride. After 44 years of struggle,…

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  2. My Journey with Braille

    September 12, 2018 - By Jasmyn Polite

    I’ve grown over these past three years to enjoy braille. Every time I use my braille writer or slate and stylus to write, it’s hard to stop. Braille is great for me because I have glaucoma, a progressive eye condition that could blind me, so I must learn braille for my future as well as my braille teaching career. Glaucoma doesn’t scare me because I have braille as a back up in my life toolbox. Whenever I read a braille book with my blindfold on, I can find a mysterious…

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  3. Dream Job: Working with Guide Dogs

    August 29, 2018 - By Andrea Inman

    I work at a non-profit organization that trains guide dogs for the visually impaired. As a “puppy Kindergarten manager,” I coordinate with dedicated volunteers and staff members to create a good foundation for our puppies who will grow up to be companions and guides. We expose them to body handling, different surfaces, and different noises in order to prepare them for the world outside the kennel environment. Then, at about 12 weeks old, our puppies go home with volunteer puppy-raisers for just over a year to be exposed to a…

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  4. My RP Secret

    August 15, 2018 - By Dave Steele

    My name is Dave Steele. I’m a singer and poet from the UK who, since being diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa in 2013, has dedicated my life to raising awareness for visually impaired people worldwide through poetry and music. Following is a poem I wrote for my daughter, Ellie. The Secret It took me years to come to terms with how my eyes declined Through stages of acceptance of slowly going blind But nothing I could ever do would allow me to prepare To tell my little girl the thing I…

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  5. Limited Sight. Purposeful Vision.

    August 1, 2018 - By Erica Powell

    Hi, my name is Erica Powell! I am a fitness professional, marathon runner and national keynote speaker. #MyBlindStory started when I was 6 months old. I was diagnosed with a rare cancer called retinoblastoma-bilateral – cancerous tumors in my retinas. After numerous operations and aggressive treatment, I have now been cancer-free for over 20 years! But as a result of my radiation treatment, I have been experiencing progressive vision loss throughout my entire life. My vision really started to decline as I was hitting my teenage high school years, and…

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  6. When It Comes to Demanding Access, Take the Big Swing

    July 18, 2018 - By Noah Carver

    I am a 14 year old blind skier, horseback rider, cross-country runner, Challenger Little League baseball player, singer, musician, voiceover artist, radio personality, advocate, student lobsterman and geek supreme from a small fishing village named Beals Island, Maine. Oh, and one more thing you should know, I’m a huge Boston Red Sox fan! I was born totally blind from a rare genetic condition known as Leber’s congenital amaurosis (LCA); because of this, I’ve been thrown lots of curveballs in my life. I’ve been bullied in school to the point of…

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  7. Not Just A Smart Cane – a Movement to Raise Role Models

    July 5, 2018 - By Batuhan Demir

    Young Guru Academy (YGA) is a non-profit organization founded in Turkey in 2000 that cultivates selfless leaders to realize the dream of a brighter future for the younger generations. One of the program’s graduates, Kürşat Ceylan, has emerged as an award-winning social entrepreneur who has spoken at the United Nations – and who is still leading the technologies that YGA develops, specifically those for visually impaired people. “YGA works on breakthrough social innovations to inspire people and give hope. Our latest technology is WeWALK, a revolutionary smart cane for the…

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  8. Our Nystagmus Story

    June 20, 2018 - By Sue Ricketts

    When my baby daughter was 6 weeks old, somebody wearing a white coat told me she was blind. She wasn’t blind. I knew that. But I also knew there was something wrong with her eyes. It turned out to be nystagmus. I’d never heard of it before. From that day on, our nystagmus journey began. Nystagmus is characterized by uncontrolled eye movements, which make focusing very difficult. It is a lifelong condition and cannot be corrected with glasses or contact lenses. Most people with this condition have impaired depth and…

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  9. Paralympic Powerhouse: Menna and Jen

    June 6, 2018 - By Menna Fitzpatrick & Jennifer Kehoe

    Meet Jen My name is Jen and – unusually enough for #MyBlindStory – I’m not blind. I’m sighted (albeit short-sighted) and I’m a serving Officer in the Royal Engineers. I was released from traditional military duties for two years after being scouted as a sighted ski guide for para alpine athlete Menna. However, although I’m not blind, visual impairment and blindness has had a huge impact on my world. As a teenager, I sailed competitively – and once continued in a race even after my glasses were knocked off part-way…

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  10. Renegades

    May 23, 2018 - By Louie McGee

    “Long live the pioneers Rebels and mutineers Go forth and have no fear… It’s our time to make a move It’s our time to make amends It’s our time to break the rules Let’s begin” –X Ambassadors, Renegades   Earlier this month, I was at the X Ambassadors concert here in Minneapolis. I have been a fan since I first heard them. I went with my family, friends and a few people from the Louie’s Vision Board of Directors. The show was above and beyond what I could have expected….

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