🎙️ Podcasts By Dr. Kirk Adams: Interview with Cazerny Bussey, Founder, Even Though I'm Blind Foundation https://drkirkadams.com/podcasts-by-dr-kirk-adams-08-18-2026/
Here Dr. Kirk Adams welcomes Cazerny Bussey, founder of the Even Though I'm Blind Foundation, for a first conversation between two blind leaders who arrived at the same work from opposite directions. Kirk lost his sight at five in small farming towns in Oregon and Washington, where he was the only blind kid in every school after fourth grade. Bussey grew up in Brooklyn with low vision, active and surrounded by a large family, and lost his sight at fifteen, a sophomore at a performing-arts high school, already recording music, after a second retinal surgery took the optic nerve. He describes the moment in the exam room as a decision he had to make on the spot, and the years that followed as a run of doors opening: two and three shows a week, work alongside Big Daddy Kane, LL Cool J and Chuck D, and the persistent fact that he was the only blind person in every room he entered.
That isolation is what became an organization. A love song Bussey wrote called "Even Though I'm Blind" gave the foundation its name, and research he did afterward gave it its purpose, blind college students, blind chefs, blind skiers, blind pageant winners, an entire world he had not known was there. Today the foundation runs a radio station carrying roughly forty-five independent blind artists, a podcast built on community members telling their own stories, and a curated directory of blind-owned businesses, alongside an artist showcase staged at the NFB convention in Texas. Bussey has just joined the Persons with Disabilities Media Co-op as a sponsor of Access Information News. Kirk and Bussey trade New York geography, blindness-skills philosophy, and a shared conviction that visibility is the work, and agree to meet in New York in February.
TRANSCRIPT:
Podcast Commentator: Welcome to Podcasts by Dr. Kirk Adams, where we bring you powerful conversations with leading voices in disability rights, employment and inclusion. Our guests share their expertise, experiences and strategies to inspire action and create a more inclusive world. If you're passionate about social justice or want to make a difference, you're in the right place. Let's dive in with your host, Dr. Kirk Adams.
Dr. Kirk Adams: Welcome, everybody, to another episode of Podcasts by Dr. Kirk Adams. I am that Dr. Kirk Adams, in my office in Seattle, Washington on a beautiful sunny August day. Best time of the year here. I lived in New York, I lived in Virginia. I don't miss August in either of those places. So I'm a Northwest guy. My guest today is a new acquaintance. I don't know how I've missed you so far, but my guest today is Cazerny Bussey, founder of Even Though I'm Blind Foundation. Say hello.
Cazerny Bussey: Hello, everybody.
Dr. Kirk Adams: And Cazerny is out there making waves, getting things done. And we just became acquainted. We've had one conversation just to get to know each other a little bit, and immediately knew I wanted you on the podcast. Because, Cazerny — so for those who don't know me, I'm a blind person. Have been since I was five years old. I was born a sighted kid and became a blind kid when I was five. Both my retinas detached. I was totally blind very quickly. And so there was really no question that I needed to learn Braille. I needed to learn how to travel confidently and safely with a white cane. At that time, I needed to learn how to type [on] a typewriter so I could go to public school and type assignments and papers and things for my sighted teachers who didn't know Braille. So I went to Oregon State School for the Blind — first, second, third grade — then on into public school. And very interested to have you [unclear 00:02:17]. Our — I think our experiences as blind people are so different. I grew up in little farming communities in the Pacific Northwest. Silverton, Oregon; graduated from high school in Snohomish, Washington. One was known for strawberries, one was known for dairy farming and football.
Dr. Kirk Adams: I was always the only blind kid in any school I went to after fourth grade. And the little towns I grew up in — when kids turned 16, they got driver's licenses and they got some sort of job, and I didn't get either. So I lived a fairly isolated, pretty tough time in high school, and then on to college where things got better. I graduated with a degree in economics and went into banking and finance for ten years, then into the nonprofit sector, became the president and CEO of The Lighthouse for the Blind here in Seattle. The American Foundation for the Blind — moved to New York for that. But knowing the little bit I know about you, you became a blind person later in life than I did. You grew up in a very different environment than I did. And you have, like I said, you've been doing stuff, making things happen. So we'd really just like to hand you the microphone here. Your story, how you came to be part of the community. What inspired you to start your foundation? What's the journey been like so far, and where are you taking things?
Cazerny Bussey: Yeah, absolutely. Well, I first would like to just thank you for allowing me on your platform. I did come across you because, as I was doing my due diligence and my research, it was hard to not bump into Kirk Adams, because you done made so many great things happen in your lifetime. And I really do commend you, and I honor that. And yeah, looking forward to doing things as big as you done it someday, when I get there. But yeah, I lost my eyesight at the age of 15 years old due to retinal detachment as well.
Cazerny Bussey: Yeah. So we have that in common. So — yeah, around five years old. Wow. I grew up in Brooklyn, New York. So it is a lot different than your environment.
Dr. Kirk Adams: I will tell you that I lived in Brooklyn when I went to work in 2016 to lead the American Foundation for the Blind. The offices were at Two Penn Plaza, right above Penn Station, next to Madison Square Garden. But my wife and I lived in Park Slope at Eighth Avenue and Eighth Street. And my greatest orientation and mobility triumph is learning to take the F train, to transfer to the A at Jay Street–MetroTech, to go into Penn Station and up to 34th Avenue and into the office. And for a kid who grew up in little teeny towns — my first experience was staying in corporate housing on 43rd, between Eighth and Ninth, pretty near the Port Authority. And I had an O&M instructor, and she asked me, "How's your experience walking on heavily trafficked sidewalks?" I said, "Yeah, pretty good." And then when I turned the corner from 43rd to Seventh Avenue to walk down to 33rd, after about half a block, I stopped and said, "I had no idea." So.
Cazerny Bussey: You're right. Yeah. That's the heart of New York, you know.
Dr. Kirk Adams: Yeah.
Cazerny Bussey: That is literally where everything happened. Although I feel like a lot of parts of New York is pretty hectic. Park Slope is a pretty nice neighborhood.
Dr. Kirk Adams: Well, I like Manhattan because if you can count, you know where you are. Things are numbered. Things are nice 90-degree angles, nice rectangular blocks. So that's a good part. And then you got the open hatchways in the sidewalk and the scaffolding and all that. Right. All right. So you're 15. So you were in high school, I assume.
Cazerny Bussey: Yeah, I was. Okay.
Dr. Kirk Adams: I was fully sighted until then.
Cazerny Bussey: Yeah. I wouldn't say fully sighted. Okay. Yeah. I have low vision, but I was really active. Like I was going to tell you, at five years old, I think where I was from, we was outside in the street throwing footballs and throwing basketballs in the hoop. We actually went outside then. I'm not that old, but — right. It wasn't like internet-based. We was actually in our neighborhoods. I had a really awesome childhood growing up. Had a large family and very supportive. And it was a lot of us boys, so we challenged each other like a pack of lions. So we wrestle and just play sports, and we was competitive. And we chased the girls, all kind of stuff. Young. Right. So by 12 years old, before I get to 15, my father — he was very heavy into music. He was actually a part of the old school rap group Stetsasonic. And yeah, them guys did some great things. So he had me around music. I wasn't really, per se, wanting to do music, but I did like it.
Cazerny Bussey: Maybe I loved it. But at that time, I probably would have wanted to go outside or play my — at the time, what was it, a Dreamcast, Nintendo 64 — play with my friends. But he recognized that gift and he really had me in professional recording environments. So I recorded my first song at the age of 12 years old. Song I actually wrote. And that was big for me, because that kind of changed the way I viewed the studio. Instead of being there seeing them guys, I was able to partake in the festivities, you know? Yeah. So, long story short, I go to high school. I auditioned in junior high school to Frank Sinatra School of Performing Arts, which was — yeah, it was [founded?] 00:09:01 by the late, great Tony Bennett. And I got in. I auditioned. Academically, I was able to reach — it was a special school at the time. I think the school only was open two years prior to me getting in it. It was a very new school.
Dr. Kirk Adams: Is it located in Brooklyn?
Cazerny Bussey: It's actually located in Long Island — it was located in Long Island City at the time. Okay. They didn't even have their own building. We were sharing one of the campuses with LaGuardia College. Okay. Yeah, the C building. So we was — yeah, but loved it. Freshman year, met all my friends. And it was a very artsy school, about 500 students. So I was really fortunate to be able to get in. Great music teachers — Miss [Bess?] 00:10:02, Mr. [Sandri?] 00:10:02. They grew a liking for me because I am gifted vocally. And it was great. The first freshman year — I'm speeding up to the sophomore year, because things kind of changed, but they changed a lot. Yeah, they changed a lot, from five years old playing basketball on the streets to doing my first song, having all these wonderful experiences. In between time, things went totally dark for me. I was actually doing all of my surgeries. I did two surgeries for my retina. After the second, they said the optic nerve was gone.
Dr. Kirk Adams: So yeah, I had a lot of surgeries too, from age five to about 12. I think I had five or six. And they were unsuccessful back in those days. That was before — I'm much older than you, because, Cazerny, that was before lasers. So they were actually going in and trying to do things. But long stretches in the hospital with my head in a clamp, so I couldn't move my head and disrupt their surgical work. So some traumatic experiences for me as a young kid. But the one thing that I mentioned earlier is, when my retinas detached, I wasn't even in first grade yet, so I knew I had to learn blindness skills, Braille and cane travel. But wow — for you, you're a sophomore in high school. You're living your life, you're making music, you're at the Frank Sinatra School, you're making new friends, doing new things, and then all of a sudden the retinal detachment. So how does a young cat adjust to that?
Cazerny Bussey: Yeah. I went — my doctor, I went, Doctor [Rosenthal?] 00:11:47 — I went in there. When I did the surgery, he said, "Go home for a couple of weeks." And I was all packed up and stuff like that. And of course I didn't have vision. The first time I did the surgery it was the same, but the vision was coming back slowly. Right.
Dr. Kirk Adams: Okay.
Cazerny Bussey: So a couple of weeks passed. We ready to go back to the appointment to get it checked. I think my mind was playing tricks on me, because for some reason I felt like the sight was coming back, right? [unclear 00:12:25]
Dr. Kirk Adams: So you had — you were optimistic about it, right?
Cazerny Bussey: Right, right. Memory, right. The power of memory. And then I went in a room. They did the process, the procedure, and he came in, and I could just remember he said, "Like the optic nerve — you're blind." And then for a slight second, I — it went dark for me. At the time, I was seeing floaters and everything, right? It was what they call them, floaters, what I call them — these colors — and everything went dark. I was like — for me it was kind of hard. But yeah, right in that moment. The reason why I tell that story is because a lot of people benefit from the fact that I can say, in that direct moment, I had to make a quick [choice?] 00:13:20. One of the biggest and quickest decisions I ever had to make in my life. And it was in that moment, because I remember I had to choose to be blind, or I had to choose to not be able to see but be led to vision. Right? Such a complex choice I had to make at the age of 15 years old. Sophomore in high school. At the time, things was going so great for me. I was tapped into Miss Jones in the Morning — she was one of the radio hosts at Hot 97 — and DJ Envy, and all these great people that I'm tapped into.
Cazerny Bussey: And it's like, probably in [venues?] 00:14:10 I wasn't supposed to be in at the time. But just all these things, to now having to accept the fact that, well, I no longer was going to be able to see the sunshine, right? So that, you know — and a lot of people probably take those simple things like that for granted. But it's a beautiful thing to be able to see the blue skies, you know? But I did make the choice to see vision, right? Because I was able to see for a while. I think I still have the ability to remember the color red and orange. And if I really have the confidence that I know I have to remember my mother's face and my father's face, I can just kind of tap into it and see it. That's cool. If I second-guess it, then it'd be a little struggle. But I have to just know I have to. But I did choose to tap into that vision that day. So I left the hospital, total silence. And I still was able to remember the — of my neighborhood and my community and my house. At this time, I was stepping up before the steps was there, because I knew they were coming.
Dr. Kirk Adams: Yeah, yeah. The spatial awareness, right.
Cazerny Bussey: Right. So I went through the whole curve. And I would tell you this — I was really tapped in at the time with a lot of people that cared. And they didn't show me one day of, I don't know if to call it sadness or depression.
Dr. Kirk Adams: Pity.
Cazerny Bussey: Pity. Yeah. That's the word. Yeah. I didn't have a time to feel pity for myself, actually. I went to school about three weeks to a month later. Right.
Dr. Kirk Adams: Same school.
Cazerny Bussey: Yeah.
Dr. Kirk Adams: Okay.
Cazerny Bussey: I goes back to the school totally blind. So you gotta imagine, they like — really, they like —
Dr. Kirk Adams: So how about blindness skills? Did you have people come and train you? Did you go somewhere for training?
Cazerny Bussey: Yeah, absolutely. They actually offered me the school for the blind in the Bronx, and —
Dr. Kirk Adams: NYISE.
Cazerny Bussey: Yes, yes.
Dr. Kirk Adams: New York Institute for Special Education.
Cazerny Bussey: Right. I said —
Dr. Kirk Adams: Beautiful campus. Okay.
Cazerny Bussey: Yeah.
Dr. Kirk Adams: "No, thank —"
Cazerny Bussey: — you." Tactfully declined. Right. Yeah. Okay. I was like — I mean, I had my girlfriend in there at the time, like my friend. I'm like, I — so they did make accommodations for me. The principal was the most beautiful woman. Her name was Miss [Finn?] 00:17:15, and she was really skeptical, because she didn't know how to deal with a student, honestly. But she worked with me, and my guidance counselor, Miss [Crow?] 00:17:28 — they worked with me, and they got me mobility. I had people that came in there to teach me levels of Braille.
Dr. Kirk Adams: So do you use the long white cane or a guide dog person?
Cazerny Bussey: I didn't use the long white cane. It's what I use. Yeah.
Dr. Kirk Adams: So good.
Cazerny Bussey: I mastered the environment of the school. And long story short — because you could just imagine it. When I first got into school, it was like a thing where it was like, wow, it was a music school, one of the best performing arts schools in New York, and I was privileged to be in. Then it kind of turned into me just feeling like, well, I just gotta graduate. I gotta pass these tests. I had to figure things out. It wasn't the same no more. Everything was just a challenge, you know? And challenge is not bad, but it was a challenge at the time. I learned a lot since then. Challenges these days is kind of opportunities for me to overcome them. So back then it was more so like, all right, maybe not so much of singing in a cabaret, but —
Cazerny Bussey: — keeping up with my class.
Dr. Kirk Adams: You survived. Right.
Cazerny Bussey: Right, right. So I did graduate. And the beautiful story about the graduation was, one, I was the only singer that actually sang a song that I wrote, called "We Made It," at the graduation for my class. So that was a beautiful thing. But even a lot more beautiful than that, it was a young lady that came in that freshman year by the name of [Valeria?] 00:19:17, and she was totally blind.
Dr. Kirk Adams: Came to the same school.
Cazerny Bussey: Came in the School of Performing Arts.
Dr. Kirk Adams: Cool.
Cazerny Bussey: So that was just beautiful for me, to see that this school is able to now accept a second blind student. And that's —
Dr. Kirk Adams: Great.
Cazerny Bussey: Yeah. They wasn't trying to — she came in, and they wasn't trying to hand off. They felt like they had what it took to take her [on].
Dr. Kirk Adams: That's what we do, because we try to make the path a little easier for the next blind person coming along. Right. So you established the fact that a blind person could be successful at the school, and probably made it a pathway for her.
Cazerny Bussey: So at the time, I just didn't have a clue. Yeah, I didn't have a clue. But I tell that story because — exactly — our lives is purposeful. And when we tap in to the greatest part of who we are, we never know who can benefit from that outcome, you know?
Dr. Kirk Adams: Right.
Cazerny Bussey: And even we can benefit from that outcome, right? So I graduate, she comes in. It was beautiful for me. It was kind of go time, because at this time I'm really heavy into the music. So I didn't go to college. I was just more so — at that time I probably was doing two or three shows a week, performing music I wrote. Was able to connect with people like Big Daddy Kane, LL Cool J — like I said, Daddy-O and Chuck D — all these great people that I was able to. Yeah, I was able to work with these wonderful people. And shout out to Stevie Wonder, because he paved the way in the music, and Ray Charles, and a lot of the greats. But I was always the only blind person in all these rooms.
Cazerny Bussey: And even out of music rooms, I was finding myself to be the only one. So the simple things in life, such as frying chicken, was just amazing to people, you know?
Dr. Kirk Adams: Yeah. I walked with a cane to my seat on the airplane and sat down and buckled my seat belt, and had someone said, "That's amazing."
Cazerny Bussey: "That's amazing."
Dr. Kirk Adams: Man, it's not really. But anyway, I can imagine. But so, high school music — you just mentioned Chuck D. I love Public Enemy above all. So, hats off to you for knowing that fine gentleman.
Cazerny Bussey: I mentioned him because he was the foundation of it. They was the ones that — yeah. And I learned under that. So I'm really honored and privileged. And I could say that maybe a lot of my strength did come from my tribe and the ones that I was able to have around me. So I always acknowledge, you know.
Dr. Kirk Adams: You're performing vocals two or three times a week in the city, primarily.
Cazerny Bussey: Oh yeah. In the city. I've traveled to Virginia. The only place I haven't been is the West Coast, but I've been all down the South, all the way down.
Dr. Kirk Adams: Come on.
Cazerny Bussey: As far as Mississippi and Louisiana. Wow.
Dr. Kirk Adams: I'm about two blocks from Jimi Hendrix Park, and about 20 blocks from where Ray Charles started playing in the '40s with Quincy Jones. So come on out.
Cazerny Bussey: That is awesome. That is awesome. So, and you know, just in the process of learning and experiencing different people and different things, and learning and growing myself.
Cazerny Bussey: I didn't have as much mobility. And basically what I would say is, I was lacking a lot of the independence of a blind person, because I always had people with me. I always had an entourage and management.
Dr. Kirk Adams: You got a sighted guide.
Cazerny Bussey: Yes.
Dr. Kirk Adams: Yes.
Cazerny Bussey: Right, right. Yes.
Dr. Kirk Adams: That is an honorable way to navigate the world. So, but as you know, everyone has a different path. Everyone learns things at a different rate. I think every person needs to be honored for the way they create their pathway and the way they create the opportunities for them to thrive. So, no judgment here.
Cazerny Bussey: No. As you get older, and you start to get in to yourself, you realize how important those things. So I always advocate that people tap into that mobility, start really young with it and really master that, because I feel like that's a great skill to have mastered in your life.
Dr. Kirk Adams: You know, as a blind person — I was going to say, as a blind person, the stronger your blindness skills are, the easier things are going to be for you. But circumstances sometimes prevent people from learning. Life happens. So I echo your sentiment that strong orientation and mobility skills are super important.
Cazerny Bussey: Oh yeah, absolutely. I was going to say that, although I didn't have the skill, I was really confident. So I've took many flights and met people at the destination, because I'm a people's person. So a lot of times those opportunities — most trips I take, I find myself meeting somebody new. Sometimes it's for a season, sometimes for a lifetime. And so, just going through the world, not really bumping into a lot of blind or visually impaired — well, maybe they were, I just didn't know they were visually impaired — but I kind of started to feel like I was the only cool blind guy in the world. Right. And then I said, this can't be. So — and I'm gonna be totally honest, I know the power of media, because I grew up around a lot of that kind of stuff. Around three years ago I decided to develop this organization, but through a beautiful song I wrote called "Even Though I'm Blind." And that was probably one of the only blind songs I've ever — metaphors. But —
Dr. Kirk Adams: You're breaking up just a little bit.
Cazerny Bussey: Do you hear me [clearer?] 00:26:28 there?
Dr. Kirk Adams: That's better.
Cazerny Bussey: Okay. Well, this song was — oh.
Dr. Kirk Adams: No, we're good. Why don't you just take it from "about three years ago, you decided to start the organization based on the song."
Cazerny Bussey: Okay, yeah. So about three years ago I had this desire in my heart, because I was always the only blind person in the room. I kind of figured that it had to be more of us that was great in the world, right? But at the time, I thought I was the only cool blind guy in the world, because there wasn't a lot for me to see when it came to the community. And I wrote a song called "Even Though I'm Blind," and the song is a love song. It's me telling my lady that I wish that I could see her pretty smile, and just the simple things of life. And yeah, that love song was deeper than the song, because it would be beautiful to see pictures of your significant other when she was a child. But I also said in this song that — what my eyes can't see, my heart can conceive, you know? So although I didn't have the ability to see, I did have a heart that gave me something beautiful as well. I want to see that deeper inner vision. And the organization is just that. The name came — Even Though I'm Blind. Even Though I'm Blind. And I was just like, Even Though I'm Blind. And it was like, now it just — it was just dot, dot, dot, right? Because now it's like Even Though I'm Blind. And then it was just so many different opportunities, and it just started opening up. And quickly I took — I went to my business partner, he sighted, his name is Johnny. And we were doing a lot of cool things. I went and told him, I was like, "Yo, bro, this thing came." Because I just feel like — at the time I was getting old. I have children as well. The story goes deep, and I'm a superhero to my children. Like, they look at me as like a super dad. Right.
Dr. Kirk Adams: Nice.
Cazerny Bussey: And I'm the oldest brother of 12, and all of my siblings look up to — they all still call [their?] blind brother for the loans, you know, that I never get [back?] 00:29:14. It's not really a loan. But what I'm saying is, blind has never stopped me from my story, my purpose. Right. And I just knew that there were so many more.
Dr. Kirk Adams: You're blind. Even though you're blind, you have these roles. You're a father, you're a husband, you're a big brother. You're a business person. You're an artist.
Cazerny Bussey: Major roles. And I was trying to get to the [layer?] 00:29:43, because it's always partners that I'm dealing with that always says things like, "Man, sometimes I forget you blind." And you probably hear that. But I guess I would say, at the time, like I said, that it starts dawning on me. Like I start to realize that I'm blind. You know, you have a child and you can't see their face. That's when it kind of starts to —
Dr. Kirk Adams: I don't have as many as you, but I do have [children?] 00:30:13 now.
Cazerny Bussey: I have two sets of twins. Yeah. Shout out to my two sets of twins. You know, I [lucked?] 00:30:20 up twice. But —
Dr. Kirk Adams: Amazing.
Cazerny Bussey: Yeah, man. Kirk, the organization just kind of — it came. It came to me, and I had to answer the call. I mean, I could have ignored it. But started writing a mission statement, and it was — yeah.
Dr. Kirk Adams: So let's do that. So I've been executive director of a couple fairly big, well-established nonprofits. I'm an executive director now of a smaller nonprofit here in Seattle called the Institute for Sustainable Diversity and Inclusion. But how did you go about it? How did you get it started? Three years — so how did you start, and what's happened in the last 36 months? Kind of, what are the activities of the foundation now?
Cazerny Bussey: Absolutely. Well —
Dr. Kirk Adams: So you wrote a mission statement. Then what?
Cazerny Bussey: Yeah. My thing was more so like, I had to show the world that — I just thought it was absurd, like I said, that it wasn't — every room I was in, there was no blind people. Right. And then I started doing my research, right? Because I had to do my research. I had to look and see the world, because I was like, I know there's this big world out there, right? And the organization started to open that world up to me, because although I was blind growing up, like I said, I was in a different world. I was in a world where I was the only blind person in the room. Right.
Dr. Kirk Adams: And do you remember any of the things that really struck you or stood out for you when you were doing your research?
Cazerny Bussey: Yeah.
Dr. Kirk Adams: Moments. Big moments of realization.
Cazerny Bussey: Yeah. The college students in Harvard that were blind. The chefs that I seen online, the blind people that were skiing, the blind pageant winners, the blind music — it was just this whole world opening up to me, right? And I quickly realized that I wasn't the only blind cool guy in the world, like really quick. You know, people like you. So then I started telling my peoples, I say, "Are we going to get these stories out there?" Like, I'm going to do what it takes to let the world see these wonderful people, these personal brands, right? Because — it's just — and then I started realizing, and I'm telling you this because I started learning about some of the challenges that we face as blind people. You see what I'm saying? I started realizing the discrimination at times. A lot of times we're underrepresented, right? A lot of times we overlook, we underestimate — all these words that put us under. When I saw so many bright stars on top, right, I said, the world have to see this. And I refuse to be seen less than — my parents always told me I was great, right.
Cazerny Bussey: And I refused to let anybody put a perception on what a blind person supposed to look like with me, right? So I said, no — like, we gonna fight for that. Because, I mean, we're not going to let people tell us we're blind, especially if they can see. We gonna have to show them what it is, right? So the organization was built to be media programming sequence, so that we can basically use the programming and imagery to the stories, the missions, and to change the perception of the world. And it started like that. Like I tell a story, it's going to be so much bigger than me, but it really started with a simple desire of a song that said, "Even though I'm blind." And then I started just tapping into me. And all these times hearing these people tell me how amazing I was. And like I said, I know there's so many more bigger things than the little things in life, but even the little things matter. I linked up with Krystle Allen. I think that people like Amos, the one that made the Glide —
Dr. Kirk Adams: Amos Miller, my neighbor here in the neighborhood of Seattle.
Cazerny Bussey: Yeah.
Dr. Kirk Adams: And I know Krystle.
Cazerny Bussey: Like —
Dr. Kirk Adams: Krystle — Eyes Like Mine. She's in Jersey. She has a Blind Diva pageant she runs.
Cazerny Bussey: [unclear 00:35:23] amazing. I ran into one of my partners and close friends, of course, Big Saint. He has the first mainstream [label?] 00:35:32 that deals with all blind and visually impaired artists, engineers, producers, guys like that. [Esli?] Ramos 00:35:44, who is a great college student who's doing wonderful things in school. And just really see, like, people like Professor Blindie, who is a wonderful mother. I heard the story about one of these blind mothers, and they said that because she was blind, she wasn't qualified to raise her child. And it's like, things like that.
Dr. Kirk Adams: That has happened.
Cazerny Bussey: I can't even imagine, because I'm from Brooklyn and I'm kind of a fighter. You can't take my child from me, you know. Really? So these things really happen. So just growing, growing so rapidly. And the reason why I name a few of the names that we're connected with, great people such as yourself, is to say that this organization wasn't an organization that was built solely by me. It was built by these inspirational people. Their stories, their messages, their contributions that they're giving to the world and in the community at large. And it's because of us collectively doing our parts as human beings — but blind human beings — that this organization and media can come. And then also started dealing with some people that didn't know, like a guy named The Blind Steppa, who lost his sight to gun violence in New York City, in Brooklyn. Got shot two times in his head and went dark. And he barely know how to use VoiceOver, you know? So he's new to it. And it's like, well, the media is there for that reason — to show them these resources and these things that's available for us, and to us. And each of us just coming together and saying these things, to try to make life just a little bit easier for all of us.
Dr. Kirk Adams: So tell us about kind of the current level of activity of the foundation. I think you mentioned radio station. What are the things you're doing now? I know you just became a sponsor of Access Information News.
Cazerny Bussey: I mean —
Dr. Kirk Adams: — part of the Persons with Disabilities Media Co-op. Welcome to the team. That's exciting. So it is exciting. So yeah, tell me what you're currently focusing on.
Cazerny Bussey: Yeah. So that gets into the actual programming and meat and potatoes of the thing, because out of the passion has to come kind of structure, and system and order. And yeah, we have a radio station, Even Though I'm Blind Radio, of course. That's a passion of mine. Music was one of the things I grew up on. And we have currently about 45 artists, independent blind artists, playing on the station right now. So the station is doing really great. We actually just did a showcase out in Texas for blind artists at the NFB. So, nice.
Dr. Kirk Adams: Oh, good.
Cazerny Bussey: Yeah, we did a showcase for them. We did one for three years now. I couldn't make the second one — my father passed. But what I would say is, the growth is really growing. We had about six artists perform at the show, and we had a great attendance. People came out and they was really entertained by the talent of these artists. And we was able to give these artists the treatment they deserve. They all said they felt like stars. Shout out to my partner Big Saint, for giving them that wonderful environment. And it was just basically based to really highlight the talent of the blind artists in the world. We have a podcast that is, I think, one of my personal favorites, because the Even Though I'm Blind Experience is exactly what it says. It's just people basically coming on and talking about their experiences, you know.
Dr. Kirk Adams: How do we find the radio station? How do we find the podcast?
Cazerny Bussey: Oh, yeah. You go to https://eventhoughimblind.com, and you'll be able to — you can [go to] https://eventhoughimblind.com/radio, or https://eventhoughimblind.com forward slash —
Dr. Kirk Adams: There'll be tabs there.
Cazerny Bussey: Yes. But it is on the website. Everything is there. The directory is growing at a great rate.
Dr. Kirk Adams: What's the directory?
Cazerny Bussey: Yes. We just added a directory not too long ago, but I thought it really made sense, because the story that I was telling — the Even Though I'm Blind Experience brought a lot of different personal brands and business owners that were blind and visually impaired. I just figured that they should have a platform where the people can actually find their services and their businesses. So we make this directory. We curated — we don't allow anyone, we got to take it through the protocol. But everybody that's on the directory, which is growing slowly, but it is growing, it's very solid. People like some of the people we named.
Dr. Kirk Adams: I'm looking forward to looking through the directory.
Cazerny Bussey: Oh, yeah. We even had to put [Kirk Adams in it] 00:41:41. But look, even the podcast sector, we just added, so that people could find podcasts and resources through the media channels. So it's still in development. We're definitely growing it. But like I said, to find the foundation —
Dr. Kirk Adams: Right.
Cazerny Bussey: Yeah, it's definitely — like I said, people that we're working with really close, and these people is just superstars. And I'm not bragging on the people because we really close to them, but we're open to connecting with anybody who has the heart and desire to change the narrative of blindness and change the world's view of blindness, and just here to help us to make this more of an equal playing field. Because I feel like we all deserve that opportunity when we have the capability, right?
Dr. Kirk Adams: That's right. So what do you want to get done in the next 12 months?
Cazerny Bussey: Man, in the next 12 months, I want to be able to reach more people on both sides. Our desire is to grow, grow, grow, because the foundation, new people and the brands that we're working with, is the story that need to be heard, right? So as a media organization, we want to grow, we want to get these stories out, we want to get these brands out. And yeah, just want to make major impacts. It's so much on the actual calendar right now that we're doing. We just covered an event with [Lakshmi?] 00:43:26 out in Lincoln Center.
Dr. Kirk Adams: Oh yeah. Nice.
Cazerny Bussey: Yeah. And Lighthouse Guild. We did the media coverage for that event. It was very awesome. I got a Special Ed, one of the hip-hop greats, to come out.
Dr. Kirk Adams: Leading global — did you say leading global voice?
Cazerny Bussey: Yes.
Dr. Kirk Adams: I love the aspiration, I love leadership, I love the global scope. So talk to us a little more about what you see coming down the road.
Cazerny Bussey: Yeah, absolutely. The leading global voice is just us coming together as a collective and really raising our voices together as a collective community. And the reason why I say leading global voice, because the platform is for all of us, all the voices. I mean, we're not biased. I mean, if you really about the things you're doing, and do our thing and do our parts right and be excellent in other things that we're doing. So —
Dr. Kirk Adams: And how can people get involved? How can people connect with you? How can people join the community?
Cazerny Bussey: Yeah. Well, you go on the website. You can definitely join us, signing up to our email list. You can contact us through our email. We have submission links for your music if you're an artist. We have the submission for you to submit your business. And we straightforward — it's me and about three other people that run this thing, so we stay on top of everything. And we are very easy to find. We're on Facebook and all the social medias everywhere. So everything is aligned. But yeah, my thing is —
Dr. Kirk Adams: I'm a big fan. Just met you, but I'm a big fan of you, because I'm a big fan of Even Though I'm Blind. I look forward to getting to know you better. I'm urging everyone to go to the website, sign up for the newsletter. If you want to be in the directory, submit. If you are a musical artist and you're blind, submit. And for me, I am Dr. Kirk Adams. My website is https://drkirkadams.com. I have an email newsletter too. And you can also buy my book, which came out last month, because — Cazerny, it's called The Disability Dividend: Supercharge Your Bottom Line Through Disability Inclusion. And it's a guidebook for employers to win the battle for the best and brightest talent by hiring people with disabilities.
Cazerny Bussey: I love that. I love that. So I think that's why we connected, because we kind of got the same scope. And that's —
Dr. Kirk Adams: It. Grew up very differently, yeah, as we talked about earlier, but came to the same intersection in the road here, where we're both trying to make the world a better place for people who are blind, create opportunities for blind people to thrive, to live their dreams. And I really admire what you're doing. And let's have you back in about six months and see what new things you've accomplished.
Cazerny Bussey: Oh yeah. It's going to be a lot going on. It's a lot going on.
Dr. Kirk Adams: I know. Well, I'll be in New York in February, so I will let you know in advance. And we'll break bread and get to know each other across the table somewhere, with your kids. That would be fun.
Cazerny Bussey: I mean, you're great. You're great. All right. Yeah, definitely. With the pioneers, man. You paved the way for people like me coming up. So we're going to keep the light shining forward.
Dr. Kirk Adams: That's it?
Cazerny Bussey: That's it. Yeah.
Dr. Kirk Adams: All right, everybody. This is the founder of Even Though I'm Blind Foundation. [I'm] Dr. Kirk Adams, Institute for Sustainable Diversity and Inclusion. And we'll catch you next time on another episode of Podcasts by Dr. Kirk Adams.
Podcast Commentator: Thank you for listening to Podcasts by Dr. Kirk Adams. We hope you enjoyed today's conversation. Don't forget to subscribe, share or leave a review at https://www.drkirkadams.com. Together, we can amplify these voices and create positive change. Until next time, keep listening, keep learning, and keep making an impact.
