personal stories Archives

My Mother, the Wind Beneath My Wings

Posted on May 10, 2023 - 6:18 am by DeAnna Quietwater Noriega

Collage with Cover of Deanna's book with her and her Guide Dog and Picture of Deanna on left and her Mother on right

Editor’s note: It is fitting that for Mother’s Day, we revisit a post that Peer Advisor DeAnna Quietwater Noriega wrote in May, 2013, as a tribute to her mother. This post marked the inaugural post for the Peer Perspectives on Vision Loss Blog—now called “Visually Impaired, Now What?” Diagnosed with Congenital Glaucoma My mother was […]

How One Mother Spreads Awareness of Everything a Child Who is Blind/ Low Vision Can Achieve

Posted on May 2, 2023 - 10:41 am by Amy Lynn Smith

A woman with long dark blonde hair sits with her arm around the waist of a young boy with dark hair and glasses. They are both smiling. (Hilda and her son, Ashton)

Although she shares she was initially “heartbroken” when she learned her infant son, Ashton, was born blind, Hilda Dunford has learned as much from him as he has from her. As she says, “He’s taught me how to see with my heart.” Hilda had Ashton when she was 21, her first child with her husband, […]

Ode to a Master: Reflections on My TVI

Posted on April 26, 2023 - 1:03 am by Alexis Read

Teacher talks to young student in a red sweater who is touching a balloon-powered model car

Editor’s note: Teacher Appreciation Week is May 8-12, 2023. In recognition, Alexis Read shares about her beloved teacher of students with visual impairments (TVI). When my family moved to North Dakota in the summer of 1982, I met an educator who profoundly impacted my life and career choices. Phyllis, a young and energetic teacher of […]

Teaching Environments for a Vision Rehabilitation Therapist (VRT) Who is Blind/ Low Vision

Posted on April 4, 2023 - 12:20 am by Alexis Read

Table with six stations for a group lesson, each with a raised cookie sheet, butter knife, and a filled paper cup. Celery and peanut butter are at the center of the table.

Editor’s note: Vision Rehabilitation Therapist Appreciation Week is observed annually over Anne Sullivan’s birthday, April 14th. Are you interested in learning more about vision rehabilitation therapy (VRT) as a possible career? Visit Get Learning – AER (aerbvi.org) to read about the roles and responsibilities and Directory of University Professional Programs in the U.S. and Canada […]

Thriving With Changing Vision by Adapting Year After Year

Posted on January 11, 2023 - 2:16 pm by Amy Lynn Smith

Zelda Gebhard doesn’t identify as a person with low vision because she’s so much more than that. “I’m a whole person,” she says. “Along with my career, I’m a wife, mother, and grandmother. I have a full life with interests and hobbies. I’m not that much different than a person who doesn’t have vision loss. […]

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