How has life changed for you since the pandemic?

Since the pandemic began, I haven’t been able to hang out with my friends as much as I’d like. My parents are pretty protective, and when the pandemic first started, they wouldn’t let me leave the house for two months. 

What is the most challenging part about having a vision disorder?

One of the main challenges of being blind is showing people you can do the same thing as them if not better. I’ve never liked having to sit out of an activity or doing less than everyone else because of my blindness. With me it has never been “if” I can do something…it’s a matter of “how”. 

What unique challenges did you have to overcome with your impaired vision that most sighted people might not think about?

Something that has been uniquely challenging as a blind person is learning how to get around different places. Trying to figure out how to move around a place you’ve never been to is hard because you don’t know where everything is, and you don’t know what everything is. For example, you could go into a building but how do you know if it’s a restaurant or a school? 

How is your school experience different from classmates who have full sight?

My school experience isn’t really different from everybody else’s. The only thing that might be different is how I experience my experience. For example, how I do an assignment or how I give a speech. But it’s mostly the same. 

Do you think science will find a cure in our lifetime?

I think science will find a cure for the different types of blindness soon. But I’m not waking up every day saying “Is this the day?” The way I think is, if it does, great. If it doesn’t, then it is what it is.