I recently ran across the following article from Kathy Nimmer, Indiana’s teacher of the year for 2015 and one of the four finalists for national teacher of the year. Her message is universal but especially appropriate for anyone who is blind or visually impaired and their parents and teachers. by Kathy Nimmer One of the scariest moments in training with … Continue reading
Before turning to look at getting through security as a blind person, it might be helpful to remember the obvious: the purpose is to screen everyone as quickly and, hopefully, as thoroughly as possible. To the extent that you, as a passenger, can help expedite this process, you’re more likely to make going through security to be a nonevent in … Continue reading
The short answer is “absolutely not.” The more complete answer is a little more complicated. What the audiologists say. Most of us will experience presbycusis, or age-related hearing loss. We’re not exempted from this happening just because we’re blind. In the last fifteen years or so I’ve lost about 8% of the hearing in my left ear and 4% in … Continue reading
In the last blog, I talked about checking-in at the airport and dealing with customer service representatives. In this post I’ll look at luggage and packing. Packing. I’ve deliberately waited to discuss packing until I was able to give some small sense as to what the experience of confronting an airport as a blind person is like. As anyone who … Continue reading
Dr. Cassie Bruno received her doctor of optometry (O.D.) from the Philadelphia College of Optometry and practices in Knoxville and serves on the Board of Club VIBES. Vision therapy is a relatively new area of optometry that people generally aren’t aware of. The goal of therapy is to improve visual function and efficiency. A person with 20/20 vision may have … Continue reading
Imagine for a moment that you are contacting tech support regarding a website you are having some difficulty with. Next, imagine that, for some reason, your monitor can’t be turned on. The tech is going to have to be creative enough to think of a different way of communicating the directions that he usually explains visually. This is the kind … Continue reading
Think of the last time you flew. It’s probably not a very pleasant memory, but think back to getting through the airport, fighting security, changing planes, having your gate switched, rushing to make a connection, and, then, imagine doing all of this if you were blind. I’ve done it several hundred times, some more successful than others. This is the … Continue reading
Almost every question I’ve ever been asked as a blind person has been prompted by a genuine, and quite understandable, lack of knowledge. Below are some notable exceptions. Whoever said that there are no dumb questions never met the people who asked these. All of these really happened. I couldn’t make up this stuff. “Do you know how to fasten … Continue reading
Which of the following statements are you most likely to hear from someone you have just met if you’re blind? You’re so amazing. You’re so inspirational. You’re so courageous. I’m so sorry. All of the above. This is a trick question because, despite the title of this blog, the correct answer is “e.” The one thing all of these answers … Continue reading
One of the unfortunate and unavoidable consequences of losing, or never having, vision is that many people, and this may include family, friends, and teachers, to say nothing of the general public, may have a lower expectation of you. We all get negative feedback that doesn’t enhance our self-image, sometimes subtle (Bob, I’d love to go out with you but … Continue reading