Blindness Awareness

Lead teacher Maddy and participant Gabe emerging from a woodland trail on a socially distant Nature Links hike last August, in Blue Hill.

Last week three Nature Links participants - Hunter, Gabe and Alex - led our class in a workshop on blindness and low vision awareness. Throughout the conversation, the three of them debunked common myths about blind and low vision people. Drawing everyone into their experiences with humor and patience, they discussed various accessibility challenges they have encountered in public spaces. They also thoroughly explained some of the tools that they use as supports, from service dogs to Seeing AI apps.

After class, Hunter, Gabe and Alex were interested in condensing and sharing this conversation as a podcast, so that people might educate themselves on the diverse needs and experiences of blind people in their community. Please take the time to tune in, and share the link with your friends and neighbors! Conversations like these are the essential educational resources for us to build communities that are truly inclusive.

(For easier navigation of the topics covered, you can also listen to this discussion on YouTube: Click Here. You will see timecode links in the description that will allow you to jump through the episode.)

We are also excited to announce that Hunter, Gabe, Alex and I will be meeting weekly to record a regular podcast on blindness and disability awareness. Each episode will be a bite-sized 20-30 minute conversation on a more specific topic, such as accessibility reviews of new apps, or a profile on Gabe’s incredible guide dog Charlie! Stay tuned!

Gabe giving his dog Charlie a pet. To the left is Maddy’s little dog Mona.