Shawn Marsolais learned about her Retinitis Pigmentosa at age twelve and started attending a summer camp for blind children shortly after that. It was there, for the first time, Shawn finally felt like blindness didn’t have to be a big deal and meeting her blind peers made coming back every summer a thing to look forward to all year. At Camp Bowen, blindness was irrelevant because all the kids lived with it and got to just be kids.

Growing up, Shawn dealt with internalized ableism and the fear that if she didn’t do things for herself, she wouldn’t be seen as successful or capable. So whether it was in school or when becoming a parent, her drive to be independent was strong and accepting help was avoided wherever possible.

Describing herself as someone with a chip on her shoulder for a long time, this experience is what led her to starting her nonprofit, Blind Beginnings, which offers parental support groups, relationship and confidence building activities, and involvement of the whole family (including siblings) in outings and events for fun and for developing skills for a limitless life and so hopefully future generations of blind children and youth don’t have to go through what she did.

Of course, we all have limits, but this week on Outlook we speak with Shawn about the limits we put on ourselves when the world tells us that blindness is not as good as sight and being sighted.

Check out all discussed on this week’s show including their Limitless podcast and the Limitless Beauty Fashion Show, taking place Sunday, October 16. The show will include fashion by inclusive fashion and clothing companies Two Blind Brothers and Aille Design with their new braille beaded blue dress. It is also being described by Descriptive Video Works and being made into a documentary by Accessible Media Inc. to be released sometime in 2023.

Find more info on Blind Beginnings' official website:

https://www.blindbeginnings.ca/