Personal Stories Archives

My Life in Six Dots: The Persistent Relevance of Braille

Posted on December 28, 2022 - 3:22 am by George Stern

Individual exploring a tactile graphic with braille

Editor’s note: George Stern, who is DeafBlind, beautifully describes what braille means to him, stating it means more to him than facts can convey, and it is more than a code. What Facts Can’t Convey Fall On Your Knees; Thirst; Wild About Herbs; Trouble Times Two; L’Etranger; The Prince; The American Pageant; Braided Creek … […]

Dog Guide Peer Pressure: When Other Voices are Calling the Shots

Posted on December 20, 2022 - 2:31 am by Alexis Read

Editor’s note: After obtaining her first dog guide, Alexis realized she did so because her peers had dog guides. Alexis reminds others who are blind or low vision who are considering dog guides to think through whether a dog guide is a good fit for their current season of life. Have you ever wanted to […]

Second Acts: From Programmer to Braille Transcriptionist

Posted on December 16, 2022 - 10:20 am by Amy Lynn Smith

Individual in business casual standing in a kitchen

Steve Dresser had a solid career working for 30 years as a computer programmer for the state of Connecticut. But after he retired from the position in 2002, he started his own business: Jennco Productions, which is dedicated to producing high-quality braille materials from electronic documents. Blind since birth due to retinopathy of prematurity, Steve […]

Joe Strechay Helps Actors and Production Teams Accurately Portray Blindness

Posted on November 18, 2022 - 12:59 pm by Amy Lynn Smith

Individual smiles in front of an old marble building

Joe Strechay has the kind of career many people dream about: working in the entertainment business. His job? Making sure that blindness is represented accurately, especially by actors who are sighted. Born with retinitis pigmentosa, Joe later developed cataracts and has been legally blind since he was 19. He’s always been interested in media and […]

Older posts

Newer posts