Franklin Delano Roosevelt -

Franklin Delano Roosevelt - (January 30, 1882 - April 12, 1945) Franklin was the 32nd President of the United States of America and played a big role during World War II. Roosevelt eventually aided the poor and un-employed of America and restored order at various times during his Presidency. He was also the only President to ever get elected 4 years in a row mostly because of his help for the recovery of the economy. It has been said that Roosevelt had several disabilities including vision impairment. 

Tony Max - Canadian visual artist, 1957 - He was born legally blind, with ten percent vision, because of congenital cataracts. His vision was improved by cataract surgery as a teenager

Tony Max - Canadian visual artist, 1957 - He was born legally blind, with ten percent vision, because of congenital cataracts. His vision was improved by cataract surgery as a teenager, but the surgery eventually led to glaucoma and three retinal detachments. He went on to become one of Canada's most famous fine artists.

Daniel Kish: How I use sonar to navigate the world

Daniel Kish has been blind since he was 13 months old, but has learned to “see” using a form of echolocation. He clicks his tongue and sends out flashes of sound that bounce off surfaces in the environment and return to him, helping him to construct an understanding of the space around him. In a rousing talk, Kish demonstrates how this works and asks us to let go of our fear of the “dark unknown.”

TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more.
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Allan Pineda Lindo, Jr. better known as apl.de.ap (pronounced "Apple D Ap"), is a Filipino-American rapper, record producer, and occasional drummer who is best known as a member of The Black Eyed Peas.

Allan Pineda Lindo, Jr. (born November 28, 1974) better known as apl.de.ap (pronounced "Apple D Ap"), is a Filipino-American rapper, record producer, and occasional drummer who is best known as a member of The Black Eyed Peas. EARLY LIFEApl.de.ap was born in Pampanga, Philippines, to a Filipino mother and an African American father. His father, an Airman stationed at Clark Air Base, ditched the family shortly after his birth; his mother, Cristina Pineda, raised him and his six younger siblings as a single mother. As a child, apl.de.ap would make an hour-long jeepney trip to and from school, and helped his family subsist by farming sweet potatoes, corn, sugar cane and rice. Citation needed The Pearl S. Buck Foundation, an organization that finds healthier living environments for young abandoned or orphaned American children, matched him with a sponsor named Joe Ben Hudgens through a dollar-a-day program. He initially came to the United States at the age of 11 to treat nystagmus, an involuntary movement of the eyes. During a trip to Disneyland, Apl expressed his interest in staying in the United States. 

It would take another three years for Hudgens to officially adopt him, but at fourteen he moved permanently to the United States to live with Hudgens.In Los Angeles, he attended John Marshall High School where he befriended William Adams (stage name will.i.am), the nephew of Hudgens' roommate. He went to college at Holy Angel University. Apl.de.ap's early musical influences were Stevie Wonder, The Eagles, The Beatles, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Leaders of the New School and the popular Filipino rock/folk group, Asin. Apl was introduced to hip-hop by break dancing. "I would take the jeepney all the way to Angeles City, and that's how I got introduced to break dancing," he said. "I would see kids at the corner break-dancing and I'm like, 'I wanna do that.'" apl.de.ap revealed to People Magazine in 2011 that he is legally blind in both of his eyes, suffering from nystagmus and has this condition his entire career. "I'm good at shapes. If I'm not close, even if it's big, I can't read it. I doubted myself for a long time," apl.de.ap said. "I'm comfortable not using my vision.

 I weave around my problems." He went on to say in the same article that "Until I discovered hip-hop, I felt I wasn't going to accomplish anything." Two of his siblings are dead: his younger brother Arnel committed suicide (this is referenced in The Apl Song in the lines "I guess sometimes life's stresses get you down/Oh brother, wish I could have helped you out"). His youngest brother, Joven Pineda Deala, was murdered at the age of 22 in February 2009 in Porac, Pampanga
I would like to thank kapampanganheroes.blogspot.com for the information for this posting.

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

Blind Business Owner

Ryan Smith owner of Order in the Court is serving good food and busting stereotypes with each customer. Smith is blind and not only does he run the register, he runs the business.

Here is a wonderful story bye globetrotter Amy Bovaird. Follow Amy--butnot too closely--on adventures

Many people dream of seeing the world. Ask vision-challenged globetrotter Amy Bovaird, and she will settle for seeing it in a little sharper focus. Follow Amy--but not too closely--on adventures foreign and domestic as she recounts tales of trips and travel.

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A Sight For Sore Eyes

The Lighter Side to Facing Vision Loss

IF THE COAT FITS…

“Let’s go and get you squared away at the hotel,” my new and remarkably energetic friend, Sally,  said at the end of a long

I spied my coat on the rack near the door.

conference day.

“It’s  so nice of you to volunteer to take me,” I said through a yawn.

“Happy to do it.” She gestured in the direction of a coat rack some distance away. “Grab your coat.”

I spied my coat hanging near the door. Sliding it off the hanger, I slung it over my shoulder, too lethargic to even put it on.  ”Brrr,” I said as I stepped into the Kansas wind.

“You’d better wear your coat,” my friend advised. “The wind has kicked up a notch since this afternoon. I don’t know what it’s like in Pennsylvania but Kansas in November is  pretty harsh.”

“Huh?” I strained to hear her through the rattling wind. “Oh-h. My coat. I’ll be fine.”

As always, it took my eyes time to adapt to the darkness. My night blindness made it difficult to see anything. I  relied heavily on her voice to guide my fumbling steps as I caught glimpses of the shadowy figure I hoped was Sally.

Where did she go? “SALLEEE,” I called as I scanned the darkness around me. I imagined how easy it would be for me to blow off onto the Kansas prairie like some hapless tumbleweed and redoubled my efforts to keep track of my friend.

“Over here, Amy!” Sally  laughed as she backtracked to where I’d veered off. I held onto the cuff of her coat and let my cane skip forlornly  behind me like a wandering child who had ceased to interest me. Sometimes I find it best to simply go with the flow.

At the car, I uncurled the frozen fingers wrapped around my cane and leaned it against the side of the car. of course, it promptly fell. I shook my finger and addressed my cane, jokingly. “Okay, be that way. You’ll just have to wait.”  I opened the back door, dropping my coat onto the seat, my briefcase onto the floor and my purse on top of that.

With my hands finally free, I reached over and picked up my cane and folded it.

Sally opened the passenger door. “Okay, hop in,” she said and dashed around to the driver’s side.

A sudden gust of wind tossed me into the seat and I giggled. “The wind moves at sound of her voice!” I folded up my cane. “H-h-eat, p-please!”

“Coming right up.” She turned the key in the ignition and slid the heat to the highest setting. “Time to get this baby rolling!”

***

The next morning, I woke up early and got ready for the conference. God was going to give me a memorable day. I knew it. “I might as well go down to the lobby and get some orange juice and a doughnut.”

I gathered up that day’s  schedule and shrugged into my coat. When I stepped over to the dresser to pick up my purse, I nearly tripped! What … ?  My eyes traveled down to the hem. The coat hung to my ankles.

I frowned  as I dug through one pocket, feeling for my lipstick  No tube of Coral Me Crazy to be found  but my fingers grabbed onto a crumpled tissue and … one glove.  I checked the other pocket. No glove there. “Hey, this is weird.” Did I drop one or something? Did I even bring my gloves to Kansas?

I ran my hand down the length of the coat and felt a smooth diamond-thread design sewn into the cloth. It must be inside out, I thought, wondering how I could forget that the coat was reversible. I stuck one arm through the sleeve and reversed it, then the other.

Something still didn’t look right.

In a moment of playfulness, I flipped my big hood up; the tip came to my nose!

What was going on?

I ducked over to the mirror. A dwarf looked back at me!

“Wait a minute. My hood has fake fur around it!” This had none.  I squinted to see better.  ”Hey,  my coat is darker. Purple.” I inspected the light gray color that engulfed me.  I slid my hand over it. “Nylon.” Mine was suede leather.

This looked nothing like my coat except for the big hood. Wrong color. Wrong size. Wrong design.

I covered my mouth and giggled into my hands. And, ta-dah! Wrong owner!

The laughter spilled out of me as I shook my head in amazement.  I couldn’t believe I picked up the wrong coat! This was a new first even for someone losing her vision!

When Sally picked me up, I told her of my dilemma.  She said, as if it were the most natural mistake in the world and happened every day, “Well, put it back. The owner will claim it soon enough.”

At the conference center, I furtively looked around before stepping over to the coat rack and ever so casually hung up the coat then sped away. With a cup of coffee in hand, I spied on the rack for a few minutes to see if anyone came to claim the “stolen” coat.

That night I selected my coat with care. I felt for the suede leather and my faux fur around the hood.  The length was right.  The ultimate test, the pockets. If I had any doubts, they fled when my fingers found the Coral Me Crazy tube of lipstick in my right-hand pocket.

I never knew why I picked up such a different coat. Did I see mine and reach for the one next to it? Was I that tired? Or maybe a combination of the two? Just Call Me Crazy but sometime it seems to me that God feels I need a good laugh to revive me and He uses my low vision to supply it.

My take-away from this winter coat fiasco was: make sure the coat fits … first!

You have just read “If the Coat Fits.” If you liked this story, don’t forget to Like it, Comment and / or Share it in your own so

If you like this story bye Amy Bovaird you can read more of her writings at her blog, http://amybovaird.com/if-the-coat-fits/

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 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! :) 

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.

Hello, My name is Fatmatta Wurie and I am a visually impaired woman.

Hello, My name is Fatmatta Wurie and I am a visually impaired woman. The story around my vision loss have been a very interesting one. I currently suffer from a hereditary macular dystrophy called Stargardts. But that is not the final name because my journey continues. I am still undergoing research to give my disease a name and find out how where it orgininated from. Becoming visually impaired has changed my whole outlook on life and how I spend my days on this earth. I always saying losing my vision is "a blessing in disguise" because I have learned and gained so much from other visually impaired and blind individuals.

I am currently in school studying Information Technology and Business Management. I am in my senior year and hope to graduate soon. Losing my vision and beinf an IT student, I have found a new love for augmented reality and finding adaptable solutions to make working in society a little easier for individuals who are blind a visually impaired. Its sounds like a huge project but, it is one that I truly enjoy. Hope to create an adaptive technology that the world can use. 

I have become a self-advocate for the visually impaired community and I hope to meet other self-advocates. Please follow and read my blog at www.maonoyachini.com. I hope you enjoyed my little synposis on who I am. All my contact information is located in my blog. 

Thanks,  

Fatmatta Wurie

 Fatmatta A. Wurie

"What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality." - Plutarch

http://www.maonoyachini.com

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 Cheryl Wilcox and I am visually impaired.

 Cheryl Wilcox

My name is Cheryl Wilcox and I am visually impaired.
 I have been extremely myopic since I can remember but was diagnosed legally blind in 1985. I was born a preemie in the 1960's and was diagnosed with Retrolental Fibroplasia, now more commonly known as ROP or Retinopathy of Prematurity.

I am very fortunate. I have a successful career as a media consultant for Gannett media and newspapers. I have been with the same company for almost 24 years.

The majority of my advanced vision loss came within the last 4 or 5 years. I began using a cane about 3 years ago.

I am also very blessed to have great friends who forced me to face the denial I was in when it came to my visual impairment. 

 These same great friends adapted with me through every change and loss. During this time I started a blog to shed humor on day-to-day challenges and mishaps.

 http://sightlessinsight1.blogspot.com

I am very pleased that Chelsea invited me to participate in this blog. We can all learn from, encourage and uplift one another. I believe whether partially sighted,  blind or handicap able in other ways, we can do anything we put our hearts and minds into. We can all make a difference.

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