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The beauty of dusk: On vision lost and found
By Frank Bruni. 2022
From New York Times columnist and bestselling author Frank Bruni comes a wise and moving memoir about aging, affliction, and…
optimism after partially losing his eyesight. One morning in late 2017, New York Times columnist Frank Bruni woke up with strangely blurred vision. He wondered at first if some goo or gunk had worked its way into his right eye. But this was no fleeting annoyance, no fixable inconvenience. Overnight, a rare stroke had cut off blood to one of his optic nerves, rendering him functionally blind in that eye—forever. And he soon learned from doctors that the same disorder could ravage his left eye, too. He could lose his sight altogether. In The Beauty of Dusk , Bruni hauntingly recounts his adjustment to this daunting reality, a medical and spiritual odyssey that involved not only reappraising his own priorities but also reaching out to, and gathering wisdom from, longtime friends and new acquaintances who had navigated their own traumas and afflictions. The result is a poignant, probing, and ultimately uplifting examination of the limits that all of us inevitably encounter, the lenses through which we choose to evaluate them and the tools we have for perseverance. Bruni's world blurred in one sense, as he experienced his first real inklings that the day isn't forever and that light inexorably fades, but sharpened in another. Confronting unexpected hardship, he felt more blessed than ever before. There was vision lost. There was also vision found
Fearlessly different: An autistic actor's journey to broadway's biggest stage
By Mickey Rowe. 2022
Growing up, Mickey Rowe was told that he couldn't enter the mainstream world. He was iced out by classmates and…
colleagues, infantilized by well-meaning theatre directors, barred from even earning a minimum wage. Why? Because he is autistic. Fearlessly Different: An Autistic Actor's Journey to Broadway's Biggest Stage is Mickey Rowe's inspiring story. As an autistic and legally blind person, it was always made clear to Mickey the many things he was apparently incapable of doing. But Mickey did them all anyway—and he succeeded because of, not in spite of, his autism. He became the first autistic actor to play the lead role in the play The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, landed the title role in the play Amadeus, cocreated the theatre/philanthropy company Arts on the Waterfront, and founded the National Disability Theatre. Mickey faced untold obstacles along the way, but his story ends in triumph. Many people feel they are locked out of the world of autism—that it's impossible to even begin to understand. In Fearlessly Different, Mickey guides readers to that world while also helping those with autism to feel seen and understood. And he shows all people—autistic and nonautistic alike—that the things that make us different are often our biggest strengths
There plant eyes: A personal and cultural history of blindness
By M. Leona Godin. 2021
From Homer to Helen Keller, from Dune to Stevie Wonder, from the invention of braille to the science of echolocation,…
M. Leona Godin explores the fascinating history of blindness, interweaving it with her own story of gradually losing her sight. There Plant Eyes probes the ways in which blindness has shaped our ocularcentric culture, challenging deeply ingrained ideas about what it means to be “blind.” For millennia, blindness has been used to signify such things as thoughtlessness (“blind faith”), irrationality (“blind rage”), and unconsciousness (“blind evolution”). But at the same time, blind people have been othered as the recipients of special powers as compensation for lost sight (from the poetic gifts of John Milton to the heightened senses of the comic book hero Daredevil). Godin—who began losing her vision at age ten—illuminates the often-surprising history of both the condition of blindness and the myths and ideas that have grown up around it over the course of generations. She combines an analysis of blindness in art and culture (from King Lear to Star Wars) with a study of the science of blindness and key developments in accessibility (the white cane, embossed printing, digital technology) to paint a vivid personal and cultural history.
Mrs. Beaton's Question
By Robert Mercer. 2019
Robert Mercer's life could have been very different. He was born with very low vision and, as a youngster, struggled…
in school. But through the intervention of a caring teacher and the support of his family, he found his way to the Halifax School for the Blind and into the classroom of Mrs. Beaton. It was there that he discovered his voice, a voice he uses to recount his remarkable journey from a shy little boy to a community leader.
My unforeseen journey: losing sight, gaining vision
By Melanie Taddeo-Nxumalo. 2019
This is Melanie's story about how her life changed dramatically after suffering a severe stroke. The stroke left her legally…
blind and completely paralyzed on her left side. She imparts her experiences in a unique and inspiring way, providing profound insights for the reader to relate to in their own unforeseen journeys. After years of therapy, Melanie was able to regain her independence and go on to become the first legally blind teacher to graduate in Ontario - now a certified special education teacher with over ten years of experience in program development, fundraising, community outreach, volunteer management, and public speaking. 2019.
Helen's big world: the life of Helen Keller
By Doreen Rappaport, Matt Tavares. 2012
Blind, deaf and unable to speak from toddlerhood, young Helen Keller lived in a dark, silent world. Despite her handicaps,…
Helen wanted to experience every part of life; with her passion for discovery and the help of an outstanding teacher, Annie Sullivan, Helen found that knowledge would soon lead to freedom. Grades K-3 and older readers. 2012.
Six points de lumière: enquête autour de Louis Braille
By Bruno Liesen. 2008
[...] Une jeune historienne aveugle, au caractère bien trempé, rédige un livre sur lhistoire du braille pour la célébration du…
bicentenaire de la naissance de Louis Braille. Ses recherches lentraînent dans une aventure plutôt mouvementée. La partie historique, rigoureusement documentée, expose les origines du braille, sa naissance et son développement. Elle propose aussi quelques portraits de personnes aveugles qui ont marqué lHistoire. Cette fiction documentaire invite à porter sur les personnes aveugles et malvoyantes un regard différent. -- 4e de couv.
A brush with darkness: learning to paint after losing my sight
By Lisa Fittipaldi. 2004
When Lisa Fittipaldi went blind at age 47, she descended into anger and denial, until a child's watercolour set, thrown…
down like a gauntlet by her frustrated husband, opened the door to a new life. In this memoir, she paints a vivid picture of the perceptual and emotional darkness of her vision loss and her arduous journey to reclaim her life. 2004.
I am potential: eight lessons on living, loving, and reaching your dreams
By Patrick Henry Hughes, Patrick John Hughes, Bryant A Stamford. 2008
Patrick Henry Hughes was born with a rare genetic disorder that left him without eyes and physically disabled, but he…
was also blessed with exceptional musical talent, able to play the piano at the age of two. Now, at age nineteen, he is a nationally known pianist, singer, and trumpeter who has performed at the Kennedy Center. But he's best known for playing in the University of Louisville marching band, while his devoted father pushes him in formation in his wheelchair. With determined optimism and courage, Hughes has made "I am potential" his mantra and defied the impossible at every turn. 2008.
The world at her fingertips: the story of Helen Keller (Other or No Series)
By Joan Dash. 2001
A biography of the woman who overcame her disabilities to be an inspirational public figure. Discusses the cause of Helen…
Keller's blindness and deafness, her determination to lead a useful life, and the importance of her teacher, Annie Sullivan, throughout Helen's life. Grades 5-8. 2001.
Can I give him my eyes?: the inspiring story of a boy blinded in war who found freedom in forgiveness
By Richard Moore, Don Mullan. 2009
Richard Moore was ten years old when he was shot by a British soldier, on his journey past an army…
base on his way home from school. Here Richard Moore lends us his eyes as he shares his story, from his early years growing up on the Catholic working-class Creggan Estate in Derry, the second youngest of a family of twelve children. In it he describes the moment of grace that accompanied the realisation that he would never again see, where he accepted his fate instantly and without bitterness, and tells of wonderful childhood escapades, including 'endless cycles down Malin Gardens' guided by the voices of his friends. 2009.
Compass points: how I lived
By Edward Hoagland. 2001
A prolific nature writer's autobiographical essays. In "In the Country of the Blind," Hoagland explores social and biblical notions of…
blindness and describes the loss and surgical restoration of his eyesight. Remembers teachers John Berryman and Archibald MacLeish and joining the circus at eighteen. 2001.
Beyond vision: going blind, inner seeing, and the nature of the self
By Allan Jones. 2018
The author was Canada's first blind diplomat, and his vivid account of life and work in Tokyo, New Delhi and…
Ottawa is a testament to the blind person's native capacity for innovation and practical adjustment. But the deeper message of Beyond Vision is more radical and consequential: the self - the real self that is normally veiled - does not go blind. The deep self stands entirely apart from the experience of sightedness or blindness, as a centre of stable equanimity. This is what the author discovered through his study and assimilation of Indian Vedantic philosophy. Jones briefly describes the basic features of Advaita Vedanta, and identifies startling findings of contemporary science that are consonant with the Advaitic view of world and self. He then outlines practical applications of Advaita, for example the mindfulness practice that allowed him to retain his white cane mobility skills despite chronic and untreatable spinal and muscular pain. 2018.
Blind ambition: the remarkable story of a 4-time World Disabled Water-Ski champion
By Janet Gray, Lorraine Wylie. 2009
On four occasions Janet Gray has won the World Disabled Water-ski Championships. She has been champion and world record holder…
in all three individual disciplines as well as overall champion. In competition with sighted water-skiers, she is one of the top skiers in Ireland and in the higher echelons of competitive skiing in the UK. And yet, in 2004, she nearly died. In the course of a training session in Tampa, Florida, Janet skied at high speed into a steel ski jump in the centre of the lake. 'Doctors assessing the extent of my injuries were united in their prognosis: I wouldn't survive the night.' But Janet Gray did not die. In fact, not only did she make a full recovery, she resumed her career in water-skiing and regained her world titles and previous ranking as World Disabled Water-ski Champion. This book tells her remarkable story. 2009.
C'mon Papa: dispatches from a dad in the dark
By Ryan Knighton. 2010
Describes Knighton's voyage through the first year of fatherhood, made more daunting by his blindness. He wonders how he will…
get to know his pre-verbal bundle of coos and burps when he can't see her smile or look into her eyes. Tackling these hurdles with grace and humour, Ryan is determined to do his part as a father, despite the pitfalls. Some strong language. 2010.
Cockeyed: a memoir
By Ryan Knighton. 2006
Knighton, who teaches at Capilano College in Vancouver, began losing his sight early enough in life that milestones such as…
his first driving lesson and his first relationships with girls were anything but ordinary. Experiences in adulthood covered (often humorously) in this memoir include attending college in Vancouver, teaching English in South Korea, and getting married. Canada Reads 2012. 2006.
As I see it: my view from the inside-out
By Tom Sullivan. 2012
For Tom Sullivan —author, actor, athlete, singer, entertainer, and producer—a life with blindness has been a life with very few…
true limits. In this elegant exploration of the senses, he considers the different challenges he’s faced and explains the wonder he carries because, not in spite, of his blindness. 2012.
Dancing in the dark: A Guide To Living With Blindness And Visual Impairment
By Frances Lief Neer. 1994
Neer suffered from low vision throughout her life and eventually became blind. Just as she lost her sight totally, her…
adult son died and left her his 13-year-old daughter to raise. Neer's story is about coping - how to travel, shop, socialize, read and write, and run a household - and she describes attending plays, cooking for dinner parties, becoming street savvy, and, literally, dancing in the dark. 1994.
Beyond Jericho: growing up blind & resilient : the story of Isabel Beveridge
By Eileen J Garcia, Isabel Beveridge. 2003
Raised in a village far from professional help during the Great Depression, Isabel Beveridge attended a distant residential school for…
deaf and blind children, and went on to become the first blind graduate of the University of British Columbia. She overcame many difficulties and challenges in her search for higher education and meaningful work in a competitive market, and was eventually awarded a place in the Alumni Hall of Fame of Columbia University in New York in recognition of her groundbreaking achievements as well as her lifetime of service to blind and visually impaired people. 2003.
Centre walk: former students of the Ontario School for the Blind (the W. Ross Macdonald School) recall school memories
By Verne Edquist, Ed Edquist Verne. 1993
For nine to 10 months of the year, the Ontario School for the Blind was home to many children. Here,…
former students, including musician Jeff Healey, describe their lives at this school and reminisce about their experiences, both good and bad. 1993.