March 20, 2024

E83: InvisiYouth Chat Sessions with advocate, content creator and reporter for Accessible Media Inc, Mara Hutchinson

57 minutes

Bridging smart, approachable, fun and chic into advocacy isn’t easy, but our special guest has carved out a lane for herself in the content creation world. It’s advocate, content creator and reporter for Accessible Media Inc, Mara Hutchinson. Living with Retinitis Pigmentosa and Usher Syndrome, Mara deals with hearing loss along with being legally blind, Mara has shared a lot of her journey using her confidence and voice. From Canada, Mara uses her platform to share about her life with her husband and son, her incredible advocacy work raising awareness, along with all the intersections of her life being legally blind, like her love of travel, fitness, reporting and so much more.

Here’s the Four Hot Takeaways:
0:00 - Intro and Meet our Guest!
3:41 - Mara goes through a Rapid-Fire Round-Up of questions and tells all about her favorite food to buy, why she’ll always have coffee in the house, the staple in her closet, and her favorite charity experience that’s continued for years deals with some tandem cycling.
14:31 - Dominique and Mara give all the tips on how to have confidence on your social media posts, how reflecting on the dark and challenging times can help you find your strength, acceptance and power in your chronic illness/disability, how open communication that evolves has created a strong bond with her son, Bronx, and more tips for parenting and disability, and the two things that have strengthened the foundation of her relationship with her husband, Bas, as they have navigated her journey becoming legally blind.
33:27 - STORY TIME Intermission is a big moment for Mara and Bronx when a recent trip on the bus, and a packed disability seating section brought out the inner advocate in her son and made a major proud momma moment.
39:43 - And we end the podcast asking all the questions about how representation for visual impairment and blindness has evolved and could still grow, the two things Mara wishes the general public understood about the blindness spectrum, how to find confidence and accessibility in situations when fear of the unknown with your chronic illness/disability could heighten, and how allies and support networks could best support those living with visual impairment/blindness to thrive and find their intersectional communities.

Please like, comment, subscribe and share this episode, follow Mara @atemara, on Instagram! Please check out the InvisiYouth Charity Shop to buy yourself or someone you care about our limited edition Subtle Activist Color Block bracelet on www.etsy.com/shop/invisiyouthcharity with free shipping globally, and please support InvisiYouth Charity by donating, following and joining our programs and community @invisiyouth!