Soniya is a mother and an elementary school music teacher who is blind. We discuss her childhood, her choice of career, how she got her job, and what it is like to be a blind teacher. Stick around for the end! Soniya sent me a great recording of her first graders singing a song for the podcast.

Soniya Patel Elementary School Music Teacher

The stories of people with disabilities--in their own words. Emphasis on the social model of disability and employment.

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Higher Education

K-12

Educational Technology

In 2013, at the age of 50, Maria noticed a blurry spot in her eyes. After working with several doctors, she found out she had a rare genetic blindness. This is her story of the last four years living what she calls, “my unexpected life”.
Topics discussed in part 2:
Maria’s motivation for writing a blog.
Some of the entries that are  meaningful to Maria.
Maria’s blog post titled, “To the Child who has a Blind Parent”, including Maria’s thoughts about the post, reactions to her post, and some of the stories behind what she wrote.
The podcast ends with Maria’s thoughts on blindness and what she has learned through living her “unexpected life”.

Girl Gone Blind: The Story of Maria Johnson - Part 2

In 2013, at the age of 50, Maria noticed a blurry spot in her eyes. After working with several doctors, she found out she had a rare genetic blindness. This is her story of the last four years living what she calls, “my unexpected life”. 
Topics discussed in part 1 include the following:
Her experience with disability before she lost her sight.
How Maria lost her sight.
How Maria worked through her grief, including her experience with therapy and blindness training.
How Maria has continued to teach fitness.

Girl Gone Blind: The Story of Maria Johnson - Part 1

My guest is Jamie Crane-Mauzy. Jamie tells her story of getting a traumatic brain injury in a skiing accident. She talks about her recovery and how it has affected her life.
Link to Jamy’s foundation: www.firstfamilyflight.org

The Story of Jamie Crane-Mauzy and her Recovery from a Traumatic Brain Injury

Everette talks about his decision to run for president of the NFB of Utah. He talks about what he likes and doesn’t like about being president. He answers questions about the NFB’s involvement with descriptive audio, accessible pedestrian signals and driverless cars. He shares his thoughts on blindness.

The Story of Everette Bacon: President of the National Federation of the Blind of Utah - Part 2

Everette talks about his family history of blindness. He talks about adjusting to his disability. He tells how his experience working for Blockbuster led him to the National Federation of the Blind.

Soniya Patel Elementary School Music Teacher

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