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 The Self-help Resource Center for Vision Loss
Personal Stories
My Story: Interviews with people who are blind or have low vision
No two people experience vision loss in the same way. Many feel sadness, grief, anger, and other powerful emotions. Vision loss inevitably results in lifestyle changes and has an impact upon the lives of family members, friends, and significant others. Each person dealing with vision loss is unique; each has a compelling story to tell.
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 Meet United States Army veteran Master Sgt. Jeffrey Mittman, who was wounded by a roadside bomb on July 7, 2005 in Baghdad, Iraq. In that attack, his left eye was destroyed, his right arm was badly damaged, and he lost his nose, his lips, and most of his teeth. "My left eye was destroyed, my right eye had permanent scarring, and I had just a little peripheral vision remaining. My first concern was how I was going to recover and take care of my family," he said, since he could no longer lead soldiers in combat. Read about Sgt. Mittman's long and arduous journey through healing and rehabilitation to his new life as an inspirational public speaker, master's student, and national account manager with National Industries for the Blind.
Read about Jeffrey Mittman, wounded veteran
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 Meet Belinda Brasley, blind photographer, Twitterer, and author of the blog Losing Vision, Gaining Insight, in which she chronicles her transition to low vision living. "I sometimes feel like I am in a no-man's-land," says Belinda. "I am not legally blind, but I really have difficulty seeing ... and I am trying to adapt to my low vision as gracefully as possible." Learn more about Belinda's blog, including how she has learned to use her digital camera to create "a new way to see."
Read about Belinda, a blind photographer and blogger
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 Sensei Devin Fernandez (Sensei means “teacher” in Japanese) has been studying Martial Arts for the past ten years and has achieved a Shodan Degree Black Belt in Ninpo Ninjutsu. He has been living a life committed to training and discipline in Martial Arts and meditation. When he was first diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) in 2002, Sensei Devin found himself wondering, “Why me?” “What is this experience trying to teach me?” and “How can I share what I have learned with others?” It was during that time that the vision for a full fitness center for the blind came to him in one of his meditations and led to the birth of Third Eye Insight, a fitness program of Martial Arts, yoga, and mediation for people who are visually impaired and blind.
Read about Sensei Devin Fernandez!
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© 2010 AWARE - Associates for World Action in Rehabilitation & Education
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