What a Week Part 3 – A Scare BY Rebekah Cross

What a Week Part 3 – A Scare

MARCH 28, 2015 ~ REBEKAH CROSS

(This entry was written on Monday…just now posting it).

Sunday…oh Sunday. Adam and I took Jingles for her annual vet visit. I’ve mentioned before that sometimes I go sighted guide with Adam when I have the dog, but not today. I wanted to make sure of the route so that Jingles and I could find it alone easily next time. We did great on the way there. Found all the right exits and staircases, and made our way down the street, enjoying Sunday as a family. The vet appointment went fine. Jingles won over the Dr. with her cuteness, and all tests came back great. Her weight is also perfect, which is great, after such a sedentary winter. After the exam, we made our way back to the subway, stopping first at Chipotle for some lunch, and then Starbucks for a coffee to sip on the train ride home. As soon as we got to our right platform, a train came. To catch it, I heeled Jingles beside me and held Adam’s hand. Somehow in all the commotion of catching the train, weaving with dog and coffee in hand, I lost track of where exactly I was in relation to the train. Next thing I know, SPLAT. I screamed as the world fell out from under me, then realized I was on my knees in the train… What the??? Turns out, I had caught the edge of the train car with my foot and tripped. Adrenaline much? After getting over my initial shock and residual embarrassment, I composed myself and calmed down with my caffeinated stimulant.

Once we got home, Jingles seemed sleepy, but after the trip to the vet, weren’t we all? After sleeping a while, thinking she was twitching, I realized she was not twitching, but shaking. My poor pup was shaking like crazy, and wouldn’t stop. Then we noticed she was limping. What was wrong with her??? I was so afraid. I immediately called the vet, who couldn’t be reached at the time because of other appointments. In the meantime, I searched the internet, and found it was probably a reaction to the vaccine she had just gotten. She was still shaking and completely lethargic, but I had basically ruled out analeptic shock. Thank goodness. Even so, I was in a state of freak out. Adam was trying to keep me calm, but it wasn’t working too well. I wasn’t flying off the handle or anything, just super concerned and pensive.

Eventually, the shaking lessened, and Jingles fell into a deep sleep. I still would not leave her, constantly checking on my little Belle. A little while later, the Vet called me back and assured me that Jingles should be fine, as long as she didn’t have facial swelling, hives, or pale gums. She didn’t. I still asked about the reaction. The Vet said it was a common reaction, though usually only seen in smaller dogs. The limp was from pain at the injection site, which happened to be her hind leg. Next time, I can get the vaccines broken up into single doses so that the risk of side effects is reduced. I will do anything to not have my pup go through that again: /.

Jingles slept the rest of the night. She wouldn’t move for anything. It was really sad. She still shook a bit in her sleep. I was restless all night, waking up every couple hours to check on her and make sure she was okay. I didn’t know what I was going to do about work today. I couldn’t take Jingles out in that condition, but I also couldn’t leave her alone all day. What’s worse, I had a meeting at City Hall I needed to attend. I decided to wait and see how she felt in the AM before deciding what to do about work.

This morning, Jingles was happy and semi-bouncy, but spent her energy quickly on a trip to the bathroom, and was shaking by the time I fed her. Then, she wouldn’t even put pressure on her hind leg. Poor thing. I put her back to bed and contemplated work.

I decided to go to my morning meeting, then take the rest of the day off and come home to take care of Jingles. Since she was improving, I figured she just needed some real rest to get her strength back and reduce the soreness.

Unfortunately, this meant that Bob the Stick would have to show his ugly face once again. I know he is laughing at me now, as I write this. I hadn’t used the ol’ Bobberoni in nearly seven months, so I was a bit nervous about my cane technique, but was determined to make it. Thankfully, Adam was home this morning (he worked a little later than me), and gave me a “lift” to the subway, which is awesome because I would’ve definitely been late if he hadn’t. I got off at the right stop, and found the stairs. My coworker, who was attending the meeting with me, was amazingly perched at the exact exit I took, so that was completely seamless.

The meeting (which was a public budget hearing) was long and less than exciting. Literally, one of the public officials was falling asleep in front of everyone in attendance. Yeah…After four hours of that, my coworker and I left to head back to the office and home, respectively.

She helped me to the subway, and I got on the right train. Then it was back to Brooklyn. All I could think of was Jingles, if she was all right, how she felt. I couldn’t wait to get home. I hated being without her. It just didn’t feel…right. Sometimes I let Jingles have a break and go for a walk or meal with Adam or a friend, but this was different. It was miserable being without my Jingle-Pup.

I got off the train at my stop and started on the ½ mile walk back home with Bob. Amazingly, we weren’t terrible. I made it home fairly quickly and smoothly, considering the more than half a year I had not used the stick. It still sucked, and I still hated it, but I noticed my orientation and confidence had improved even with the stick, thanks to Jingles. Of course, this could also have something to do with the fact that the only thing on my mind was getting back to Jingles to see how she was feeling. Boy, I hated having to concentrate on not being the human pinball, finding the curb, and crossing the street in a straight path again.

I made it to the building, burst through my door, and found my Jingle-Pup running to greet me! She was 10x more like herself than when I had left her this morning. Now she was her usual squirmy ball of love and wet nose. I can’t believe how much I missed my sweet girl.

She’s still a bit tired, and sleeping a lot to regain her full stamina, but as the day has gone on, she is more and more 100% my spunky girl. I took her for a quick walk a few minutes ago, and she was back to wagging her tail, and bouncing with excitement. You can imagine my relief. I think she’ll be ready for work tomorrow. In your face, Bob!!!

So ends the saga of my “adventurous” week. Here’s to another week of adventure…though hopefully only the good kind this time around.

**As I post this Saturday, Jingles is completely, 100% fine, and she has been since Tuesday. We also had a much calmer week, with only good adventures, thankfully.**

If you enjoy this story or want to read more from Rebekah Cross is the link to her blog http://blindgirlinthebigcity.com

Get to know Robert Kingett

Robert Kingett

Robert Kingett is a journalist who writes about many topics for many publications. Just a few of his beats are human interest stories, disability awareness, business, crime, politics, video games, Celebrity interviews, and reviews. He has been published in several anthologies and has been asked to guest blog for many websites. He has been interviewed about his journalism work on several radio stations in the USA and abroad. He has been featured on sites such as IGN, Polygon, and others.

You can find Robert Kingett at
Twitter.http://twitter.com/theblindwriter
Facebook:https://facebook.com/robertkingett
LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/kingettr

My name is Christina Laty

My name is Christina Laty

I don't know much about the very beginning of my life, but I will tell you what I know. I was born with Nystagmus and Septo Optic Dysplasia, a syndrome of Optic Nerve Hypoplasia. My parents started noticing that I have low vision when I was about three months old. And then my mom did a bunch of research, and judging by my behavior, she found out that I have Septo Optic Dysplasia. But she couldn't convince the doctors. Finally she found a doctor that wrote a book about the syndrome. She brought me to that doctor and asked him to diagnose me. At first he looked annoyed that she didn't believe the other doctors, but then he came back out of his office and said she was right. 

When I was little, I had sensory problems, so whenever something would touch my mouth or if I touched something with unusual texture, I would projectile vomit. My mom had to feed me every twenty minutes with juiced vegetables with no texture in it. That was what the earlier years of life were like.

Four years old was a big year for me, because if I remember correctly, that's when I started my growth hormone shot, thyroid pill, and thirst control pill. For preschool, I went to the Blind Children's Learning Center. It was a great school, and I made some great friends. I went there for two years. Then I remember taking a test, that confirmed that I didn't need to go to kindergarten. So I skipped kindergarten and went to first grade at Killybrooke Elementary School.

From first to third grade I took Braille lessons. In second grade I first saw the BrailleNote. I immediately wanted one. I told my teacher about it (my Braille teacher) and she said (if I remember right, or if not I think something around these lines) we would talk about it when I was efficient in Braille. I don't think it ever got brought up again. But I still wanted one. In fourth grade, I didn't use Braille at all. Then, all of a sudden, in fifth grade at the Braille Institute, (to which I had been going since eight or nine years old) there was a choice between writing in print or Braille, and I chose Braille! I decided that day that I wanted to get back into Braille. I also started wanting the BrailleNote again. Also in fifth grade, sometime before spring break, I found out that the aid that I had been with since first grade was leaving, and after spring break I would be with a new aid. A day or two before spring break, on the day of the Killybrooke talent show, I was introduced to my new aid. 

I forgot to add something really crazy in the first chapter. That thing is what a couple doctors wanted to do to me. One doctor wanted to dunk my head underwater, saying that he did it all the time and it would reset my brain, and another doctor wanted to spin me around a bunch of times, saying that that would reset my brain.

When I was in fourth grade, my younger sister, Lizzie, did gymnastics. 

One day, when my mom, Lizzie, my little brother, Andrew, and I were walking back from the building where Lizzie did gymnastics. I decided that I wanted to take a shortcut. So I started walking away from my mom, who was too occupied with the younger two to notice. Where I thought was about three quarters away from where I would turn, I said hi to someone on his bike that I passed. All of a sudden, he got off his bike and stepped in front of me. I tried to turn the other way, but he stepped in front of me again. "HEY! HEY! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOUR EYES?! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOUR EYES?!" He yelled. I tried to get away with saying there was nothing wrong, but he kept yelling the same question until I told him that I was visually impaired and couldn't control them. Then he went onto another question. "HEY, HEY! WHO AM I?! .WHO AM I?!" I tried desperately to think of who he could be, imbue I didn't know this person. Then Mom called me, so he knew my name. "HEY, CHRISTINA!! CHRISTINA! WHAT'S MY NAME! WHAT'S MY NAME?!" So I told him that I didn't know him. Then Mom told him that he was scaring me. "I'M NOT SCARING HER!!" he was totally wrong. I was scared out of my mind. Then Mom helped me get through the bars of the fence that separated her from me. That night, Mom called the city about it.

During seventh grade, I went to Costa Mesa Middle School/High School. I was with most of my friends from Killybrooke Elementary, but some of them went to Tiwinkle Middle School. In previous years, I had gone to the Braille Institute with one of my friends, who already went there, and was a junior in high school. We got to see each other at break, and sometimes I would say hi to her during passing period, where our paths occasionally crossed, and once collided! I was in the ASB for my elective there, but I eventually switched to band. I play the flute, starting in the after-school band in sixth grade, and I still play. I still talked to my ASB friends though. 

Then, I found out I was moving to Colorado. My dad moved on April 1st, and the rest of my family (including me) stayed in California to finish packing and such. For 8th grade I went to Ranch View Middle School. This coming year I will be attending ThunderRidge High School.

Recently I have created my own blog latywritermusician.blogspot.com 

My name is Ashley Butala I am a visually impaired Woman.

Ashley Butala

 I'm Ashley Butala.
 I live in Madison Heights, Michigan. I'm 24. I just recently graduated from Oakland University with my bachelors in Communications. I have been visually impaired since birth because I was born three months premature. My eye condition is retnaopothy of prematurity. I'm a twin (identicle) I'm trying to find a job in the music or radio industry being a tour manager. 

Life certainly hasn't been easy but it's made me stronger. I have a very positive outlook on life. Just because I'm VI I don't let that slow me down. I live life to the fullest and everyone should be more like me cause in life we go through a ton of changes/relationships and you have to know that people come and go. Don't look at life as a negative look at it as a positive and don't let things hold you back. I love who I am and wouldn't change it! I love meeting new people so don't be shy I'm very outgoing, honest, and a realist. I love music, hanging out with friends, and taking adventures. 
Get to know me peeps! :) 

My name is Stephanae McCoy

Hi my name is Stephanae (Steph) McCoy, I’m a retired mom, gushing first time grandma (or Gigi as I like to be called), advocate, speaker, and animal lover. I’m also a smart, resourceful, introspective, somewhat artistic, computer savvy, perfectionist (code for obsessive compulsive tendencies) who happens to be legally blind.

My vision loss began nine years ago when I removed one of my contact lenses, looked in the mirror, and saw half of my face was missing. The diagnosis was a macular hole and luckily for me all the statistics pointed to a favorable prognosis; 1 - I was considered very young to have this diagnosis, 2 - odds were it would not occur in my other eye, and 3 - I had a 95% to 99% probability my vision being completely restored in my affected eye. Unfortunately, my eyes refused to fall in line with the statistics and here I am today unable to see the big “E” on the eye chart.

While I do not consider myself to be a fashion guru, I must admit I have a serious weakness for shoes, clothes, jewelry, hair and makeup which led me to create a blog dedicated to these topics for blind and vision impaired women. The idea of the blog came to me as I was preparing for a presentation for thePennsylvania Council of the Blind’s Annual Convention. In researching makeup for blind and vision impaired women I found very little on the subject.

Since the cosmetics and fashion industries are not geared to those of us with vision impairments I felt Ineeded to do something and this is how Bold Blind Beauty was born. I write and post descriptive pictures and video tutorials to help our demographic become more comfortable in the world of fashion.

I’m sure you’ve heard it said that “when you look good you feel good” but I’d like to submit “when you feel good, you look good.” I believe that confidence goes a long way in telling the world that you feel good about yourself and how you look. This is especially true when you are blind or vision impaired because you do not have the visual cues necessary to achieve a certain look and this is where I can help.

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” ~Wayne Dyer

My blog www.boldblindbeauty.com. 

Hi, my name is Keith Edgerton and I am visually impaired.

Keith Edgerton 

Hi, my name is Keith Edgerton and I am visually impaired.  I was born with Retinitis Pigmentosa  and have been legally blind since March 10, 2005. What does that mean to me? Well, basically I do everything I have ever done in life except drive a car. I've never had good night vision and as I grow older, my blind spots grow bigger. I basically have tunnel vision. I love the outdoors! I love to hike. Bicycle, surf, kayak, paddle board, swim and row. I love to travel. I love to play sports but really can't play team sport anymore. It wouldn't be safe for me or others. Someday I will probably have to stop riding my bike by myself but for now I still feel safe. 

I live in Olympia, WA and I am currently a Construction Services and Sustainability Coordinator for St. Peter Hospital. I love working in the sustainability field and I have a degree in Architecture from Kansas State University. I have lived in the Pacific Northwest since 1992 but I grew up on Long Island, NY and Northern New Hampshire. 

I have an amazing blended family with my wife Kiirsten, my daughters Sierra and Acadia and my stepson Ian. I am surrounded by amazing family and friends who love and support me through all of the ups and downs life has to offer. 
I started a blog this year to hopefully help people understand my vision better and what adjustments I am going through to stay active and employed. My visual impairment has brought so much joy to my life and made me such a better person.  The road to accepting my eyes has been a long and rough one at times and there are plenty of moments of struggle along the way. I hope my blog can help people understand the many nuances of being legally blind and also be a place where visually impaired people can relate to what my life looks like.  

Please check out my blog and I would love to hear from you!!!
http://keithdavid.blogspot.com/

My name is Brian Negus. I'm a visually-impaired photographer

 My name is Brian Negus. I'm a visually-impaired photographer who is registered blind in the UK. 

Many registered blind people have some useful vision). I want to make contact with other visually-impaired photographers to share our experiences. I've set up a Flickr group for UK-based visually-impaired photographers and we have a steadily growing membership).  Visually-impaired photographers work in many different ways. If you're interested in how I work, I've produced a set of photos and a brief video. If you look at discussions in the group for UK-based visually-impaired photographers you'll get an insight into both why and how we work. Following my retirement in 2007 from my post as Director of Computing Services at Loughborough University, I became a Trustee and subsequently chairman of Vista, the local, Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland charity which improves lives for over 6,000 blind and partially sighted people. I retired from my role in Vista in 2013 and will remain an enthusiastic supporter of Vista's work. 

My photography has attracted some media attention over the last few years. Here are a few representative links:
BBC Leicester 

La Republica (Italy)
The Sun (UK national newspaper)
Leicester Mercury (UK local newspaper)
video made by a group of MSc students from Westminster University
Leicester Mercury, May 2012, story about photo used on Royal Mail stamp sheet
documentary made by a group of students from Winchester University (December 2012)
Leicester Mercury, 2013

I'm a member of my local camera club,
Shepshed and District Camera Club

If you live in or around Leicestershire and you're a member of a group that might like to learn more about photography by people with sight loss, I've got some fairly light-hearted illustrated talks that I've already given to camera clubs, Rotarys, WIs and others. I'm keen to get the message across that people with disabilities can do all sorts of things that might initially sound surprising. If you'd like to discuss my coming to talk to your group, please emailbrian.negus@googlemail.com . I don't charge for the talks, but I'd appreciate a donation to Vista.

I've given a few of my photos creative commons licences, but most have standard copyright. I've always been delighted to give permission for non-commercial and some commercial use of my photos. If you use one of my creative commons photos, then please do consider making a donation to Vista through its web site. If you want to use any of my other photos, then please ask. I'll probably say yes and make a similar suggestion! I don't insist you do this, but every little helps. You can find Vista at www.vistablind.org.uk

Finally, I'm experimenting with audio visual slide shows with original music produced in Garageband. My first attemtp, May 2012, is a little rough, but you might like to take a look at my Youtube channel to see how things are coming along.
www.youtube.com/user/NegusBrian/videos 

Thanks for taking the trouble to read this.

Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/briannegus

Twitter: @BrianNegus

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/NegusBrian/videos

The lily pond At Biddulph Grange Garden.

My name is Luis Perez I'm a visually impaired gentlemen

Luis Perez 

Hello my name is  Luis Perez and I am an educator, speaker and author focusing on accessibility and inclusive design. As a person with a visual impairment I know firsthand how technology can be a powerful tool for empowerment. In my early 30s I was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a condition that has left me with less than ten degrees of central vision. Since then, I have become an advocate for the adoption of new technologies to transform the lives of people with disabilities. I consider myself an Inclusive Learning Evangelist.

I have a doctorate in special education from the University of South Florida (USF), and while I pursued my graduate studies I worked for the Florida Center for Instructional Technology (FCIT) at USF. At FCIT, I had the privilege of being on the staff for both the Laptop Initiative and the iTeach Initiative, two programs that provide training and support on Apple Technologies to faculty and students in the USF College of Education. I was also the project manager for Tech Ease for All,  a collection of free assistive technology and web accessibility tutorials for teachers.

In recognition of my accomplishments in the field of educational technology, in 2009 I was one of 52 educators in the U.S. selected to join the 2009 class of the Apple Distinguished Educator (ADE)Program. ADEs are a select group of K-12 and higher education professionals with an identified expertise in educational technology. In early 2013, I was named to the Advisory Board for the ADE program. I also serve as a board member for the Inclusive Learning Network (formerly  (SETSIG) of the International Society for Technology in Education.

In addition to technology and accessibility, another passion of mine is photography. On my Instagram page, you can see some of the photos I take with my favorite camera, my iPhone.  You can also read an interview featuring my mobile photography work on The App Whisperer, and my YouTube channel has a video that discusses my vision of  “photography for all.”

In the news:

• Sydney Morning Herald Digital Life: Luis Perez finds blindness caused by retinitis pigmentsa no barrier to enjoying photography(6/4/14)
• Tech Guide: Meet Luis Perez, the master iPhone photographer who is legally blind (5/26/14).
• Media Access Australia Access IQ: Q&A: Inclusive Learning Evangelist Luis Perez (5/19/14)
• News Corp Australia: How to take amazing pictures on your iPhone: Three  photographers reveal their top tips (5/16/14)
• New York Times: Disruptions, Visually Impaired Turn to Smartphones to See Their World (9/29/13).
• Salt Lake Tribune: At Salt Lake seminar, visually impaired learn how high tech can unleash creativity (3/24/12).
• Centro Tampa: Sus hojos sin lumbre, pero su mente deslumbra. (08/11/11).

My my name is jasmyn polite . I am 19 years old and visually impaired due to glaucoma and Aphakia.

jasmyn polite

My name is jasmyn polite . I am 19 years old and visually impaired due to glaucoma and Aphakia. As a result, I wear glasses everyday. I have recently graduated from the Florida school for the deaf and blind with my standard diploma. I plan on going to college in the fall to peruse a major in early childhood ed to teach preschool at FSDB( Florida school for the deaf and blind). I have been going to Fsdb for 9 years and so far I've had a great experience there. I have made so many friends over the years at my school and have received good grades from my hard work.  Fsdb is also where I met my high school sweetheart.  
When I was a baby, I had to have cataract surgery . As a result, I developed aphakia. Then when I was 9 years old, I found out I had Glaucoma. Because of my eye condition, I must take eye drops for the rest of my life. I use accommodations such as a CCTV, magnifier, victor reader, zoom text, etc to help me with my everyday life.

My name is Ulysses Garcia.

Ulysses Garcia.

My name is Ulysses Garcia. I am twenty years old and I am currently attending a local community college in Portland, Oregon.  I am currently working to pursue naturopathic and transhumanistic medicine so that I can use the skills and wisdom I acquired to better the world in the future.
During my spare time I spend a lot of hours researching, reading, and writing. Some of the latter can be found on my blog, which can be found at http://www.sensationexperience.com/
Through my blogging, my mission is to raise awareness about the ability for people to perceive other people to learn what they can never learn by other means. This is done only when I am studying abroad, since the majority of the content has different ways of being interpreted across cultures and nationalities. I also implore science in many of my works to show how something works and why it works the way it does. However, I believe in keeping it simple, also known as the KISS principle so that the subject can be very technical, but at the same time it is described in such a manner that anyone will be able to understand with little to no problem.
In addition to what I do, I have a minor background in computer technology, so I can assist in any area that I am able to.
Some of the things I love include Western Art music, playing my instruments, writing in my diary, and much, much more. I can't be omniscient, but knowing a little of everything is better than knowing everything of one thing (too much technology or too much fantasy).
If you have any questions, or would like to provide suggestions, send your enquiries to info@sensationexperience.com or sensationexperience.official@gmail.com
Alone, we can do so little. Together, we can do so much. Helen Keller.

Learn more about spreading the Sensation Experience attitude
Visit our web site at: http://www.sensationexperience.com/
Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sensationexperiencepage
Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/sensationexperi

My name is Don Wardlow I am a legally blind gentlemen

Don Wardlow 

My name is Don Wardlow.

I am 51 years old, and have been blind since birth.

I hold a bachelor’s degree in communications from Glassboro State College, (now known as Rowan University,) in New Jersey.

From 1991 to 2002 I was the only blind baseball radio broadcaster in the minor leagues. I had begun broadcasting as much sports as I could on the college radio station as early as 1983.

For the station I broadcast baseball, football, basketball and soccer. When possible I also did color commentary on boxing matches.

Now, for a living I work for Blue Cross Blue Shield in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

On the side I run a web site where I sell recorded broadcasts of boxing matches.

3 of the fights I sell are ones I broadcast. The rest go back as far as 1934, and feature the best fighters of all time in some of their most famous fights.

The web site is

http://www.boxingonmp3.com

While it isn’t my first web business, it is my most successful one.

In June 2006 I opened a travel agency on the Internet which lasted a year and lost money.

I am fortunate the boxing site is breaking even, especially considering I only opened it in November, 2013.

I invite you to check it out, and contact me at any time.

My name is Ashley Nemeth. I am a visually impaired woman

Hello everyone, my name is Ashley Nemeth. I am a 29 year old visually impaired woman from Indian Head Saskatchewan Canada. 

I live in a very rural community with my husband and three children, ages 10,7 and 6. I have lived in the same community my whole life and love living here. It is a community with approximately 1800 people. 

I was born with Ocular Albinism and Nystagmus, my vision has been unstable most of my life. I have been visually impaired my whole life. I have been legally blind for as long as I can remember. My vision was about 20/200 most of my childhood and into my teen years. In the last year my vision has decreased quite a bit. I am blind in my left eye and on a good day in the eye doctor’s office my vision tests about 20/900 but as we all know what your vision tests at in the doctor’s office does not mean that is your functional vision all the time. I have a lot of problems with photophobia (light sensitivity ) this creates a lot of issues especially in the winter with the glare off the snow. When I am moving, like walking , it is very hard for me to focus and I have no depth perception. 

Now having said all of that, I have never let any of it stop me. Sure I miss things but as far as I am concerned I am not unless they are pointed out. 

I always did what I wanted from a young age, this included bike riding, baseball , hockey, horse back riding, snow boarding, speed swimming, and many other things. 

My visual impairment has made me the strong woman I am today. It has forced me to accept things and work harder to do the things I want to do. 

Having a visual impairment you will always run into people who say you can’t. I have always taken that as fuel for the fire and when anyone said I couldn’t I tried even harder. Call it stubborn, I call it life. A disability should not determine what you can do in your life, you should decide what you can and want to do with your life. 

My Blog http://legallyblindmovingon.blogspot.com

My name is Kerry Kijewski and I am a visually impaired Woman

Kerry Kijewski

My name is Kerry Kijewski and I was born blind. My younger brother and I were both born blind and we are extremely close because of it. We use music and writing to find our way forward.

I have used words to help me deal with life as a visually impaired person. Writing and literature have always been my escape and my salvation. They allow my imagination to flourish.

When I turned thirty I started a blog and I use it to express myself through words. I write about the things, the places, and the people I love. My first ever blog post was a bucket list of the thirty things I am determined to do before I turn sixty. I use HerHeadache to bring awareness to the causes that are important to me. These include equal rights for people with disabilities, organ donation, mental health, and infertility issues. I hope to make a difference, in some small way, and to have my voice heard.

I have been working on writing a novel, which I started with the motivation from NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). It is a story of how three generations of a family deal with grief and loss. The three things that most interest, amaze, and baffle me are: birth, love, and death. I write about these most often.

I write short stories, interview other authors and people making a difference in the world, movie and show reviews, and travel articles. I hope to one day make a living from writing. It isn’t easy finding the way through life and showing others we who are blind are just as capable of contributing to society. I am determined to find my own way.

My blog: http://kkherheadache.wordpress.com

My name is Heidi Ajudan Smith and I am a blind woman.

Heidi Ajudan Smith

Hello my name is Heidi Ajudan Smith I would like to tell you why Celine Dion means so much to me. Here is a little bit about my life.

 Losing so many people in my life, including my six siblings.

 Surviving five near deaths incidents.  Losing my eye site at three months of age. Almost losing my mother, brother, and father. Me being bullied through my entire school life. And last but not least, living a military life style.

These are the things that I have been through, and yes, Celine, the woman of my beautiful dreams, has helped me through them all.

Celine Dion

I didn't even know that it was her that has helped me through all of these times until I was 15 in a taking chances concert that she did in San Antonio, Texas.

I remember after the concert my father telling me a little bit about her, and after the show her when I was listening to a song that my father told me that she sings, called 

My heart will go on, so that is how I really got to know her and her voice, and her as a person.

And the type of fan that I am?

She's still helping me out with life today, and yes, I would love   to meet her. I have her entire disckography on my I pod, and I'm so proud of it.

That's all I need. I'm not a true fan because of all her things I have, but because I love her so much.

You see, there are three or four types of people.

1. People who don't give a care about her or her music at all.

2. People who like her just for her things.

3. People that just love her and her things, and that's all they ever talk about and they also tend to not include themselves in every day life.

4. People that are extremely passionate about her, have her music, or some other things, but they still have a social life, and don't consitter her to be their life day in and day out.

I am at number.

To be a true fan is to love her with all your heart, but don't make her your life.

Make her your passion.

Yes some of us may not have all of her things, but you don't need all of her things. You just need to love her with all your heart. I hope to meet her one day as a true fan, 

And this is why Celine Dion means so much to me.

My name is Laurel Wheeler I'm a visually impaired Woman

 Laurel Wheeler

Hello everybody. My name is Laurel Wheeler, 
I'm visually impaired and have a guide dog from Guide Dogs for the Blind. I live in Texas here in the United States. Chelsea invited me to contribute to this blog and I'm really excited about that! I thought I would start with an introductory post about myself so that you could get to know me a bit. I am 22 years old, almost 23 and a college student. I'm currently studying French, Arabic and Russian and will be attending the University of Oklahoma in the fall to finish my degree. I also have 2 businesses that I am part of. 

The first one is with scentsy Wickless selling wax warmers.

scentsy is the safe alternative to real candles. I also recently started as a designer with Origami Owl jewelry. My goal with these 2 businesses is a 2 part goal. First I would like to support myself and lessen my dependence on government benefits. While I am grateful for help that the government provides me as a blind person, I would still ultimately like to be self supporting. The 2nd part to my business goal is that I would like to show other blind and visually impaired people as well as others with disabilities that we can support ourselves, we can do something productive and of value. I know most of us have been told either that we'll never do anything worth while in our lives, or that we'll always need somebody else to support us, but I want others to know that this isn't true. You can support yourself and you can do something of value! You may not immediately be able to be self supporting, but you can do something to start down that path. I think if you realize this point, that you can better your own life and you do have something of value to contribute to others, it will be an incredible boost to your self esteem and self confidence.

Anyway, I hope that through me and others contributing to this blog, you the reader will be inspired and uplifted. I would love to hear from you, the reader, with any questions or suggestions you may have as far as what you would like me to write more about or elaborate on. I would also like to get to know you and connect with you and form new friendships!   That's all for now, I'll write again soon.

Wax candle

If you'd like to get in touch with me, Laurel and guide dog Stockard Scentsy Independent Consultant you can send me an email at laurel.stockard@gmail.com.
Website https://laurelwheeler.scentsy.usscentsy

Origami Owl jewelry Facebook page

Scentsy Facebook Page

My name is Maxwell Ivey Jr and I am a totally blind gentleman

Maxwell Ivey Jr

Hello; My name is Maxwell Ivey Jr and I am a totally blind gentleman sharing my stories. 

I have two blogs now one about the amusement industry called
The Midway Marketplace  and the other called Blind Student and Teacher  it is about my more personal experiences along my way to becoming the person I want to be. I write about equipment for sale, leading figures in the amusement industry, and sales made as well as my progress with blogging, podcasting, youtube videos, Google hangouts,  crowd funding and being a blind business owner. I didn't choose to be an inspiration but now that I know people are inspired by me; I will do my best to be that good example. I hope you will come along for the ride. thanks, max

http://midwaymarketplace.com

My name is Chelsea Stark and I am a blind photographer

Chelsea Stark

My name Is Chelsea Stark I am a legally blind Photographer and was born with optic nerve damage I have tunnel vision and can only see about two feet in front of me. I use a Nikon  to take my pictures. I use the live view to compose the pictures since I cannot see through the viewfinder. Since my field of vision is so narrow and I don’t relate to wide vistas, I photograph close up intimate subjects The things I like to photograph are animals, flowers and some times scenery. I use an Apple Mac, which comes with some great tools such as speech, enlarged screen and oversize mouse pointer. My inspiration comes from my loving fiancé’ Robert Park. The more pictures I see of his the more inspired I get. He is also my teacher. I hope one day my pictures are as good as his.

My personal blog is http://chelseastarkcom.blogspot.com
I also created a blog called  iPhone and iPad Apps for the Blind And Visually Impaired. I also have a Facebook group.Called iPhone and iPad Apps for the Blind And Visually Impaired.
iphone and ipad apps for the blind.blogspot.com

facebook.com groups iPhone iPad Apps for the Blind VisuallyImpaired

The History of Apple iPhone



Blind All Around the World