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The Misadventures of the Author of THE MISADVENTURES OF MISTLETOE MOUSE (December 24, 2018)

Alexander Pope wrote in his poem, “An Essay on Criticism,” “˜Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.’  In December of 2016, I rushed to join other writers who live with blindness and low vision and self-published my book, The Misadventures of Mistletoe Mouse.   We were assured by a chapter on self-publishing in Getting Your Book Published for Dummies (2000) and articles in issues of the monthly magazine, The Writer, that self-publishing a book can be a very positive and profitable experience.  I soon learned that the Create space website did not work with screen-reading software.  While using it is free, the services of a graphic designer and editor that are needed to upload a book are expensive.  A modest number of books sold to family and friends as I learned that I knew even less about marketing than I knew about book publishing. In 2016, Local independent bookstores were friendly to authors of self-published books; but in 2017, many owners and managers decided that Amazon was
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Being Thankful as Low Vision becomes more Inclusive (November 27, 2018)

In a previous post, the word, "blind," was mentioned as a deterrent for people with vision impairments and newly diagnosed patients who are seeking help because the word, "blind," still means total blindness in most people's minds.  The National Federation of the Blind, the Xavier Society for the Blind, and other organizations that use the word say on their websites and brochures that they are inclusive and provide services to the approximately 10% of the “blind” population that is totally blind and the 90% that is legally blind or visually impaired but do not meet the requirements for statutory blindness services or benefits.  Only the Hadley Institute for the Blind and Visually Impaired (formerly the Hadley School for the Blind) and Learning Ally (formerly Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexics””RFB&D) have changed their names and made their services more welcoming. An even more exciting trend is taking place as low vision is becoming lower.  I thought
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From Getting over It to Getting on with IT (July 1, 2018)

I am inspired by writers like Francisco Jimenez who wrote The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child , Reaching Out , Breaking Through , and Taking Hold:   From Migrant Childhood to Columbia University and Haven Kimmel who wrote A Girl Called Zippy and She Got up Off the Couch .   Both Jimenez and Kimmel’s mother struggle to earn their college degrees and then were hired to work in their chosen fields.   The memoirs that are written by people who live with blindness and visual impairments often have different endings that required career changes, self-employment, part-time jobs that pay a minimum wage, or no job at all as they can be counted among the 70% of the sight impaired who are unemployed.   Getting over their disappointment and getting on with their lives is a display of their courage, self-discipline, and ingenuity.   While being unemployed or underemployed, many people learn new skills such as blogging and serve on a variety of boards, committees, and groups.
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A Narrow Mind is not Covered by the ADA (June 24, 2018)

A narrow mind is not covered by the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), but the National Library Services for the blind and Physically Handicapped and Learning Ally have books to help heal the hurt that comes from being bullied or verbally abused as most people who are living with blindness, low vision, and other disabilities have experienced as children or adults.  Narrow minds can be found anywhere from in the home, in the community, and in the media.  Bullying of people who live with disabilities is so rare that public demonstrations of it are especially repugnant.  It is most difficult to observe when people who are living with disabilities are bullying or verbally abusing each other.  Sometimes it is not clear where teasing ends and bullying or verbal abuse begins.  If you or someone you know has been bullied or verbally abused or you are not sure, here are some resources that will help:  The Verbally Abusive Relationship:   How to Recognize It and How to Respond A Complain
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