Growing up, I didn’t really have the opportunity to witness accurate and positive representation of persons with disability in media. Whenever a character with a disability was present in a show or movie, they were usually a side character with no real character development or were often portrayed with negative stereotypes that were presented as… Read more The Representation I Wish I Had Growing Up

In December I went to the Dark Table Restaurant with a grade 11 Co-Op class from my school and I would like to talk about my experience and what I liked about the restaurant. I really enjoyed going to a restaurant that is completely dark, because it gives sighted people the experience of how it… Read more My Dark Table Experience

On this Volunteer Appreciation Week I find myself reflecting on the incredible volunteers at Blind Beginnings. You may or may not know that for the first two years of Blind Beginnings it was entirely run by volunteers.  Everything from bookkeeping, grant writing, program planning and delivery was done by volunteers.  For the next few years… Read more We Appreciate Our Volunteers

Be My Eyes is a really great app. It’s available for both Android and IOS. It’s for blind or partially sighted users and with it you can call a sighted volunteer with just a press of a button to get help with simple tasks such as reading an expiration date or picking out a flavour… Read more My “Be My Eyes” Experience

My acceptance to using a mobility cane and fully embracing my blindness did not happen until my 40th birthday. In a few months from that magical date, I was going to travel to Des Moines, Iowa and I had a lot of anxiety around traveling independently and safely in a new city, navigating the airport,… Read more My Journey to Cane Confidence

International Friendship Club is one of my favourite activities at school. International Friendship Club is a lunch-hour club where we can meet new people and do things like watch movies together, try new foods from other cultures, and give suggestions of things we want to do as a club. Not many schools that I know… Read more My International Friendship Club Experience

I had an interesting conversation with my aunt the other day. She noticed how many people with disabilities often make jokes about their disabilities to themselves or their friends. She didn’t understand why they would do that, since she interpreted them as being mean to themselves, and asked if that was something that I did… Read more Why I Make Blind Jokes

Walking down the street on top of leaves, with the wind whistling in your ears, and the smell of fall in the air. A chilly mist in the air, and the prospect of candy. Knocking on a house door filled with excitement. Surprising someone with your costume and the anticipation of candy. These are just… Read more My Halloween Achievement

Math is an academic subject that is challenging for blind and visually impaired people as it is mostly visual. I will be talking about some of my challenges and alternatives that my teacher provided me with to overcome my challenges in Math 8. The first challenge that I had in Math 8 was figuring out… Read more My Experience in Math 8

Growing up partially sighted, the word “blind” was never a part of my vocabulary, mostly because many people who met me didn’t consider me to be blind. To them (and myself), blindness meant having no vision whatsoever. I grew up with the idea that blindness was an all or nothing concept, and although I only… Read more Normalizing the “B” Word

I woke in a flurry of excitement early on Monday morning. It was finally happening! I was finally going to meet the people that I had worked alongside and gotten to know over the past two years! Not only that, the context in which we were meeting was a three-day training camp where we would… Read more My Fashion Show Training Experience

The following is a blog that was submitted to us by Amit, a parent of one of our program youth. He and his family attended our Camp Hornby Summer Camp in July for the first, and he shared this with us. Last month we’ve attended Blind Beginning’s Hornby Camp for the first time. Hornby Island… Read more Of Course You Can!

On May 27th, 2022 Blind Beginnings held their Youth Leadership Weekend, which I attended. I’d like to talk about the weekend, what we did, and how was the experience for me. During the weekend, we did a lot of different activities and learned many skills. We practiced how to cross busy intersections listening for cars… Read more My Youth Leadership Weekend

With baited breath, A year ago, I waited at a door, To meet someone very special, Who walked on legs of four. Soon enough, There came a knock, To announce that they were there, And in came the instructor, With the other half of my guide team pair. He came into my life singing, A… Read more Ode to My Guide Dog

With Earth Day approaching, I have been thinking a lot about all of the different outdoor activities that I enjoy that make me feel close to the earth. As a person with low vision, finding ways to make activities such as hiking, kayaking, camping and skiing accessible isn’t always easy, but in the end, it’s… Read more Why Earth Day Is Important To Me

Happy World Laughter Day! Amid such troubling times, it can be hard to find anything to laugh about. As tough as it may be, I would encourage everyone, myself included, to make a conscious effort to find something to bring you joy and a moment or two of hilarity. In today’s blog, I’d like to… Read more More Than Just The Best Medicine

If you ask anyone from my school days—elementary or secondary— I am sure they would all tell you how much I enjoy running. I am not sure where this started, but it is something I love to do and miss now that I am older. I have thought about joining a Track and Field team,… Read more Reevaluating Physical Education

Since the beginning of the pandemic, I have had to take several COVID tests that were performed by nurses so it was quite easy for me. Not to say that it was comfortable, because I am sure that no one likes something shoved up their nose. However, when it comes to rapid tests I found… Read more How I Took A COVID Self-Test

Have you ever been on a phone call, and realized after prattling on for five solid minutes, that oh wow, my phone is dead! Super dead. How long ago did it die, I wonder? Or my personal favourite in-person blind equivalent, where you are talking to someone in a lineup, or a hallway, and (if… Read more Well This Is Awkward

The Paralympics in full swing, and in honour of that, this week’s blog submission gives us an inside view of the experience of a Paralympian with this first letter to home during the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens. So far things are going well.  I arrived on Friday after a pretty long flight.  We were… Read more A Paralympic Letter Home

Let’s be real, we’re all glued to our electronic devices. Whether you’re checking Instagram on your phone or watching Netflix on your smart TV, almost everybody is at least somewhat guilty of spending too much time in front of a screen. That is why the first Friday of March, which happens to be March 4… Read more The Challenges of Unplugging

I always hear rumours about the way that I act. I am constantly judged on the way that I look. I hear people whispering when my head is turned around, But when I turn back, they claim that I have mistook. I hear them laughing when I make a mistake, They make fun of me; … Read more I Don’t Care – A Poem for Pink Shirt Day

I still remember my elementary school days where braille was a big part and perhaps the only medium in which I accessed and produced information. I remember my hands taking in the words and the way they were spelt, the way everything was laid out on the page which included the way in which paragraphs… Read more Beyond the Pencil Part 3

It has been about nine months since I have transitioned to having a Guide Dog in my life. Though this means that I am usually with my furry companion when I am out and about, there are still times when I need to use my white cane, or times when I use it to ensure… Read more The White Cane Chronicles Part 2

Every year on January 1st, people all over the world gather to ring in the new year. It is a time for new beginnings, new goals, and new discoveries. But in some parts of the world, this day is not January 1st. In countries such as China, Taiwan, Korea and Vietnam among others, the new… Read more Happy Lunar New Year!

When I was little, my parents had thought that team sports wouldn’t be something that I would be able to do. However, joining a Ringette team was probably one of the best things that ever happened to me. I played on a sighted team, partly because I had enough vision that I was able to… Read more The Importance of Team Sports

Growing up in Northern BC, I have had tons of experience with the struggles that come along with the winter weather conditions. Namely ice, plenty of snow, and temperatures ranging from minus 5 through minus 40. To most people living in the Lower Mainland, this way of living either sounds awful and they all think… Read more Winter Woes

Science has always been my favourite subject, so much so that I remember my very first lesson in kindergarten which was 15 years ago. From that point on, I was permanently enthralled by the fascinating world of STEM. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math; however I will be focusing more on the science… Read more Stemming My Way To A Science Degree

Why is braille literacy so important? Does Braille even matter today, in a world where everything is read aloud? What the heck even is it?  In light of World Braille Day that was celebrated on January 4th and the entire month being designated as Braille Literacy Month, let’s take a look and try to answer some… Read more The Importance of Braille Literacy

I picked at my French fries, the combination of salt and potato becoming a lump in my throat each time I tried to swallow. My throat was already dry from our walk to the restaurant, and my appetite had been non-existent that entire weekend. The White Spot was spacious yet stuffy with all the busyness… Read more Caged

Throughout my youth, I have always had an interest in gaining experience through various volunteering opportunities. Within these roles, I was often the only one with a visual impairment, often leading to me having to find a way to ensure that each experience I sign up for was accessible for me. I had always heard… Read more Youth Leadership Online

As a young child in Vancouver, my family had the opportunity to connect with a lot of others who had children who were blind or partially sighted at camps, events and even just in our daily life. However, when I was six, we moved out of Vancouver into a smaller community in the interior, and… Read more My Youth Leadership Experience

As the whole world wrestles with the questions like, “Was that racist? Am *I* racist? Has my privilege made racism less visible to me?”, so too have I recently begun to ponder ableism within the blindness community and the broader disability movement. What is able-ist? Has my “plain vanilla” blindness enabled me to devalue people with… Read more My Own Ableism

Online communities have become increasingly common in this day and age, flourishing on numerous social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Discord, dedicated forums and message boards, and so on. I have always enjoyed participating in various online communities related to my interests (particularly music) and I had always been fascinated by online platforms that… Read more Leading in an Online Environment

All my life, my parents would accompany me whenever I left the house. They would bring me to and from school and drive me to and from extracurricular activities and special events. They would stick particularly close to me whenever I was in an unfamiliar environment. When I was really young, I would almost always… Read more Dealing With Social Supervision

As someone who has grown up with a disability and who spends a lot of time discussing both the positive and challenging aspects of living as someone blind from birth to my friends, I often dream of what it would be like to have a friend who just gets it. “But why,” you may ask.… Read more Not Guiding, Just Walking Together

It was a dark and stormy night, I was home alone because my parents needed to take my younger brother Timmy out for trick-or-treating. I knew I was too old for an activity like that, so I stayed behind. I grabbed my pack of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and sat on the couch to watch… Read more Halloween Night

A couple of years ago I joined a Leadership working group made up of a diverse group of individuals who wanted to learn how to be more inclusive and practice celebrating diversity. At the first on-line group meeting, there were 8 of us from different locations in Canada, and even one person calling from England.… Read more Why Is My Difference So Different?

The use of certain language is a complicated issue, not just in the blind community but the disability community in general. Do we use person first or disability first language? Should we not use certain words in order to prevent drawing attention to the disability? Are there any words we shouldn’t say at all? To… Read more Blind is Not a Bad Word

It’s the first week of Blindness Awareness Month and we are kicking off our month’s worth of content with a version of a conversation that could very well be happening somewhere right now as you read this. A conversation. Person 1: October is Blindness Awareness month. Surely, people know what blind is, so why do… Read more A Conversation About Blindness

With each passing generation, our society has become increasingly visual. And now, there is hardly a millennial or Gen Z who doesn’t go through the process of taking a photo and sharing it at least a few times a day. Cellular phones with cameras are now common, almost essential, rather than the novelty devices they… Read more A Word Worth A Thousand Pictures

This week’s Blog submission is something a little special. On Saturday September 18th, Blind Beginnings hosted a Movie Screening Fundraiser that featured a screening of the documentary, “Through My Eyes”, a short film that featured Blind Beginnings Executive Director Shawn Marsolais and her journey through vision loss and the eventual founding of the organization. Also… Read more What’s It Like To Be In A Documentary?

Smart phones with onscreen keyboards are nothing new. When they were first introduced, however, there was a great deal of concern from those who were blind or partially sighted. How would we enter text without tactile feedback on these gadgets? Could we see the keyboard clearly enough to enter text? What if we accidentally touched… Read more That’s Not What I Meant!

When one is a child, their parents are mostly the ones who are speaking upon their behalf. One example of this would be at a doctor’s office. As a child, we rely on our parents in these circumstances to advocate for our medical needs. They hold on to important paperwork such as your health care… Read more Diagnosing Doctor’s Visits

As individuals who are blind, it is necessary for us to seek accommodations and adaptations and ask for help from time to time. We all probably remember the moments when strangers have gone up to us, asking “what’s wrong with your eye?”, “do you need help?”, praying for our eyesight to be restored, or just… Read more A Message of Gratitude to All My Musical Friends

Many sports are featured at the Paralympics. Goalball, however, stands out as the lone sport that was designed from the ground up for players who are blind or partially sighted. This year, Canada will be represented by the Canadian National Goalball Women’s Team, comprising of six athletes from across Canada. In this week’s blog, we… Read more Paralympic Spotlight: Maryam Salehizadeh

Throughout the year, I always look forward to the summer! The sunny weather, ice cream on a hot day – but the best time of all is the Blind Beginnings Summer Camps. I have attended several of the camps, and each one has been a blast, both as a camper and a volunteer. Camp has… Read more Why I Love Summer Camps

I never really heard about Communications until I was in High School. At that time, Communications classes were presented as alternatives to our English requirements, and were often made to be seen as the easier option for those who were considered to struggle with English. Even if I was to take a Communications class simply… Read more Communication is the Key

Have you ever wondered how blind or partially sighted people use Instagram? This blog covers two perspectives, from both a partially sighted and blind user. As many people know, Instagram is a very popular social media platform. Especially in today’s generation, Instagram is very “in”, particularly amongst people our age. Because of this reason, many… Read more Accessible Graming

Harry Potter’s birthday is on July 31 and we thought it’d be fitting to celebrate that by asking a few of our regular Limitless Blog authors to write up what this fictional character and world he resides in means to them. I’m not sure why but I was always reluctant to read Harry Potter as… Read more Happee Birthdae Harry

I’ve written previous articles on fashion and make up, so naturally I feel as though skin care would be something that I’d also be passionate about. When I’d watch make up videos on YouTube when I was young, skin care videos would also show up, but at the age of 10 I didn’t realize the… Read more Why Skin Care is Self-Care

Have you ever wondered how blind individuals access a computer? If that sounds like you, this blog article is just for you! Computers and phones are a very important part of life in this day and age. The world of technology is changing rapidly. We use computers and phones every day to write documents, send… Read more All About Braille Displays

Most children love crafts, and I was certainly one of them. So many colours and options to always choose from. However, being that I was born blind, being involved in crafty activities felt challenging as a child. A constant struggle for my younger self use to be the perfection and accuracy sought when it came… Read more Beyond ROYGBIV Part 2

High school graduation is a big moment in life, and the end of the school year is often filled with big celebratory events like Grad Dinner and a ceremony involving hundreds of people – but that of course could not happen during COVID. The only Graduation celebrations included taking photos earlier in the year and… Read more Grade 12 During the Pandemic

When we think of a Father, we instantly think of our biological Father. However, a Father can and does mean different things depending on the family’s situation. A Father figure can be many different people in your life: a teacher, A coach, a family friend, and in some circumstances, a Stepfather. This is the case… Read more The Different Forms of Fathers

For the longest time, I remember being embarrassed of certain East Indian traditions. Although I am more confident in my heritage and ethnicity now, that wasn’t always the case. When living in a country where the majority of the people are similar and you see yourself as the odd one out, it makes you want… Read more The Invisible East Indian

The month of June is Pride Month. This is a month to celebrate the LGBTQ2SA community while educating society and shading light on the discrimination of this minority. Although I am still hesitant to disclose this part of who I am for fear of how I will be received and treated, I myself identify as… Read more My True Colours: Like a Rainbow

Near the end of 2020 I decided it would be a good time to start learning about other disabilities outside of blindness in order to educate myself and be more informed. I followed advocates with various disabilities in order to get information straight from the source — people with lived experiences. Throughout my research I… Read more The Diversity of ADHD

Accessibility is very important for all of us, not just for people who are blind but also for people who have other disabilities and people who are sighted. Accessibility is not just technology as some people believe but it is something that makes life easier in any kind of way. It can be anything from… Read more What Accessibility Means To Me

Ever since I was a child, I’ve always loved to write. As soon as I learned how to form letters, I would grab my colorful markers and write all over my Disney Princess covered notebooks. But the fun didn’t stop there. I would eagerly write on any plain white surface I could get my little… Read more Finding My Inner Poet