What can you do with an interest that doesn’t fit a traditional career path? Historians, genealogists, researchers, and archivists are all used to describe people who collect and preserve history. But Peggy Chong prefers a different title: storyteller.
Since 2014, Peggy has been known as the Blind History Lady, sharing powerful and often overlooked stories about people who are blind or have low vision. What began as curiosity grew into a lifelong passion and a career dedicated to preserving blind history.
How Peggy Chong Began Documenting Blind History
Peggy’s journey began in 1979 when she was tasked with cleaning out old files, papers, and boxes from a home for the blind that was closing. The facility had opened before the 1929 stock market crash, leaving behind decades of documents to sort through.
While reviewing the materials, Peggy discovered correspondence mentioning a blind congressman. That moment sparked her curiosity.
She began looking more closely at the documents, making copies, and beginning what would become her extensive collection of stories about blind individuals throughout history.
A Personal Connection to Vision Loss
Peggy’s work is deeply rooted in her personal experience.
She comes from a family with a history of vision loss. Her mother and three sisters are legally blind due to the same eye condition. Peggy herself has congenital cataracts and astigmatism.
“My eyes shake and I can’t read for a long time,” Peggy explains. “The bigger the print, the bigger the shake. I have learned how to work around my loss – adjusting to when it works and when it doesn’t.”
Early Skills That Shaped Her Research
During her time in school, Peggy worked with assigned readers who helped her access print materials. These interactions taught her valuable communication skills, especially how to ask clear, thoughtful questions.
Those skills became essential in her research.
“I would call a library for basic information and pay the research fee,” Peggy said. “The librarian would become curious about what I was working on. We would have a conversation, and I would often receive more information than I originally requested.”
Working and Volunteering in Libraries
Although Peggy originally wanted to become a librarian, she began her career as a library page. In this role, she built relationships with head librarians who supported her research and granted her access to archives and special materials.
She also volunteered at the library, gaining additional training and research experience.
“At the time, it was difficult for blind and low vision people to access printed documents,” Peggy explains. “Working at the library gave me greater access to materials and information.”
Exploring Family History and Genealogy
Peggy’s interest in history extended beyond the broader blind community and into her own family.
In 2000, as genealogy platforms like Ancestry became more popular, she took family history classes and began researching her own lineage. This further strengthened her research skills and deepened her appreciation for documenting personal and collective histories.
Facing Rejection and Continuing Anyway
When Peggy first attempted to publish her stories about people who are blind or have low vision, she faced repeated rejection.
“I got stacks of letters saying, ‘Although interesting, we don’t have room for novelty articles at this time,’” she recalls.
Despite the discouragement, she remained committed to her mission. She believed these stories were important – not just as history, but to highlight the achievements and contributions of blind individuals beyond school and rehabilitation programs.
Finding a Home for Blind History Stories
Peggy turned to the blind community, hoping to create a history column that would resonate. However, early responses were limited, as her stories didn’t focus on specific organization members.
Her breakthrough came with Dialogue Magazine, published by Blind Skills, Inc., an organization that provides resources for people who are blind or have low vision.
Initially, there was skepticism about whether she could produce enough content for a regular column. Peggy responded by submitting nearly two years’ worth of material.
Her persistence paid off.
She launched her column, The Way We Were, which ran in every issue until 2019. The column received strong positive feedback and helped her build an engaged audience, eventually forming the foundation of her Blind History Lady email list.
Growing a Career from a Personal Interest
Today, Peggy Chong shares these stories across multiple platforms:
- A monthly newsletter with over 1,200 subscribers
- Speaking engagements where she presents her research
- Published books featuring historical stories
- A podcast on the Colorado Radio Reading Service
What started as curiosity became a body of work – and a career – that continues to grow.
What This Story Shows About Career Paths
Peggy didn’t follow a traditional path into her work. There was no clear job title at the beginning, no defined roadmap.
Instead, her career developed through:
- and a willingness to keep going, even without early validation
Her story is a reminder that careers don’t always start with a plan. Sometimes they begin with an interest and grow over time into something meaningful.
Explore What’s Possible for You
If you’re thinking about your own future, consider this:
- What are you already curious about?
- What do you enjoy learning or talking about?
- Where could that interest lead if you kept developing it?
Exploring career paths doesn’t always start with choosing a job title. It can start with paying attention to what interests you and taking the next step from there.
To learn more about Peggy Chong and her work as the Blind History Lady, visit her website.