The Reality of an Invisible Disability: A Storytelling Series
Welcome to "The Reality of an Invisible Disability," a new storytelling content series dedicated to amplifying the voices of individuals experiencing vision loss, at any spectrum. This series aims to shed light on the invisible experience that unifies all disabilities, providing a platform for sharing personal and raw experiences, and fostering a community of understanding and advocacy.
We are launching this series to validate and support the lived experiences of those with blindness or low vision, and to engage new advocates to keep the conversation going. We invite our community to submit their stories and lived experiences on various topics related to their unique journeys.
Invisible Disability Stories
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Living Life Through My Eyes: My Journey with XLRS
Invisible DisabilityThere are moments when I wish I could see the world the way everyone else does. But I’ve realized that focusing on what I’ve lost only takes away from what I still have. XLRS may affect my eyesight, but it doesn’t define who I am.
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Invisible Disability
Life is inherently uncertain, but what happens if we embrace that? Trust yourself and your intuition. My strength is for me to define, no one else.
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A Story About Losing Sight and Discovering the Power of Seeing Differently
Invisible DisabilityRead an excerpt from ‘I See You,’ where Meredith Kole shares her experience of being diagnosed with a blinding disease at age 13 and how art became a powerful form of self-expression, reflection, and resilience.
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Two Twins, One Rare Diagnosis, and a Family Holding on to Hope
Invisible DisabilityRaising two twins with the same rare condition comes with challenges that many people cannot see. Everyday tasks often require extra patience, planning, and support. Our twins may experience the world differently, but they face it with courage every day.
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Meet Teddy: A Guide Dog Helping Navigate Life with Vision Loss
Invisible DisabilityIn honor of International Guide Dog Day, we’re spotlighting the life-changing partnership between people living with vision loss and their guide dogs, through the eyes of one very special dog.
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Low Vision, High Hopes: My Journey with Stargardt Disease
Invisible DisabilityFor most of my life, I carried my vision loss quietly and invisibly. Vision is not only what we see. It is what we dare to believe is possible. And when that belief meets support, community, and opportunity — lives change.
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The Super-Sticky Shoes: Living With Retinitis Pigmentosa When the World Can’t See the Glue
Invisible DisabilityIn this deeply personal reflection, author Patti Brite Taylor shares what it feels like to live with retinitis pigmentosa—and how that experience inspired her mystery novel, The Vanishing Cactus, centered on a heroine with low vision.
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Excerpt from Never Seen the Stars by Kate Korsh
Invisible DisabilityRead an excerpt from the novel, Never Seen the Stars, where Hattie reflects on living with retinitis pigmentosa, navigating family dynamics, and finding hope in her choices.
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Where Sight Fades, Music Begins
Invisible DisabilityBlindness isn’t always visible. It isn’t all or nothing because vision loss is a spectrum, but when I play, the music fills in what sight can not. It gives shape to what’s fading.
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Invisible Disability
You cannot tell by looking at me that I am visually impaired. The #1 reaction to my lack of sight confession, though, hands down, is a nervous laugh followed by the person not believing me.
Join the Foundation in this journey of sharing, learning, and advocating for a more inclusive world!
Submit your story today. Topics could include:
- Parenting
- Travel
- Societal Assumptions
- Avoidance
- School Accommodations (or lack thereof)
- Workforce Accommodations (or lack thereof)
- Role Models (or lack thereof)
- White Canes
- Guide Dogs
- And More…
