Legally blind. Low vision. Blind. What exactly does it mean to be legally blind anyway?

Today on Outlook we speak with Toronto based journalist and AMI audio reporter Meagan Gillmore about being born with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), attending a private Christian school in a city that’s known for its school for the blind and not knowing where you fit in, and how applying for employment is made more difficult because most listings state that a driver’s license is necessary to get the job. From being born in London to moving to Brantford for school. From Hamilton to Whitehorse and from St. John to Ontario’s capitol city, having lived in three Canadian provinces in the last thirty years, she’s now a freelance journalist covering political issues and public policy matters. Meagan wants to be a journalist who has a disability but to be able to explain to the public about others with disabilities and how those stories are universally applicable.

We even talk about growing up, in the same generation of the 80s and 90s, and how our parents first met when we were preschool age and services for families with visually impaired children were missing, our parents having to make their own support group (Child Light) to help fill in the gap and navigate those early years. We talk finding acceptance using a white cane, bullying, and her love of writer Jean Little, authentic disability representation in all areas of media. Also, we talk Sesame Street, Polly Pocket toys, and This Is Us.

Find Meagan over on Twitter: @MeaganGillmore and check out some of the stories she’s done for several Canadian publications and newspapers.