Building a #BlindNewWorld

By Leah Barrett Demers

An adventurous teen who founded a nonprofit to help other blind kids live a life that is “boundless, fun, courageous and confident.”

A sighted fitness trainer who teaches boxing and self-defense to people who are visually
impaired. A young, blind cancer survivor who headed to Africa to climb Mount Kilimanjaro the day
after he graduated college. And a mom eager to share easy ways to be socially inclusive – whether your friends are sighted or visually impaired.

These are just a few of the people who have shared their stories via BlindNewWorld (blindnewworld.org), a social change campaign that seeks to break down barriers to inclusion for blind and low-vision people in the workplace, in the community and in education. The campaign aims to bring together a variety of perspectives from all people who have been impacted by blindness – whether they’re sighted or visually impaired. Since its launch in May 2016, BlindNewWorld has built a community of more than 75,000 followers – and reached more than 50 million people around the world, including 2.2 million views of their fun (and informative) videos, available both on the BlindNewWorld
site and on Upworthy.

Along the way, the campaign has madesome famous friends… Christine Ha (also known as The Blind
Cook), Tommy Edison (The Blind Film Critic), EJ Scott (a blind marathoner) and the guys behind Two Blind Brothers apparel (as featured on The Ellen DeGeneres Show) have all participated in BlindNewWorld — and the community just keeps growing.

Want to join the conversation?
There are a number of ways to get involved in BlindNewWorld.
To follow along, find BlindNewWorld onFacebook (facebook.com/BlindNewWorld), Twitter (@BlindNewWorld) and Instagram (@BlindNewWorld) To contribute your perspective on the #MyBlindStory blog, submit your story at blindnewworld.org/blog/now-its-your-turn or send an email to blog@blindnewworld.org. To share an image, use the BlindNewWorld editing tool at blindnewworld.org/share – then submit your photo to the gallery.

What’s next?
BlindNewWorld wants to keep the momentum going – and they’re looking for help from people who are prioritising inclusion, kindness and open-mindedness in the workplace. BlindNewWorld At Work (blindnewworld.org/ at-work) is a new resource centre that offers materials that you – and your employers and employees – can use to start or advance the conversation around inclusiveness. Check it out – share it, spread the word, and let BlindNewWorld know what you think!