Andrew Leland is a writer, audio producer, editor, and teacher whose work explores blindness, disability, culture, and the human experience. He is the author of The Country of the Blind: A Memoir at the End of Sight, a finalist for the 2024 Pulitzer Prize in Memoir.

Andrew Leland on Blindness, Identity, and Building a Life Beyond Sight

• In this interview, Andrew Leland shares how night blindness in middle school eventually led to an RP diagnosis, and how that diagnosis felt abstract for years before becoming more immediate in daily life.
• He explains the turning point ofmoving to Massachusetts and committing to use a white cane consistently, which changed not just how he moved through the world, but how other people treated him.
• Andrew discusses the tension of being“too blind” or “not blind enough,” especially as someone with low vision who can do some things visually while needing blindness tools for others.
• He breaks down howasking for help is not always simple, and how blind people often have to decide case by case between independence and practical support.
• Andrew describes blindness as asocial and cultural experience, not just a medical one, drawing on the social model of disability and the idea of blind culture.
• He talks aboutsight privilege and why accessibility can break down when people assume they should lead or manage access for disabled people without being asked. group.
• Andrew explains whycompliance is not the same as good design, and why inclusive design works best when disabled people are consulted directly.
• He reflects ongrief, pre-grief, and acceptance as his vision continues to change over time, while also staying active in blindness skills and tools.
• Andrew shares how his career moved frommagazine editing to audio production to disability reporting, and why he now wants to keep working in underreported disability spaces.
• He offers advice for blind creators and job seekers:figure out what you need, then demand it, because employers cannot accommodate needs they do not understand.
• He closes by naming his current high point asreturning to freelance writing and landing new assignmentseven after a difficult career transition.

Website:

andrewleland.org For Andrew’s contact details, writing, and professional inquiries, visit his website.

The Country of the Blind: A Memoir at the End of Sight by Andrew Leland.

Vocal Point (Home of the Georgia Radio Reading Service) is a 501c3 organization that exists to improve the quality of life for people who are blind, visually impaired, or have difficulty with the printed word.

• Learn more at Vocal Point at Seevp.org To support our podcast and programs, donate here: https://connect.clickandpledge.com/Organization/seevp/
  • Credits
    • Host: Brittany McLemore
    • Recording and Engineering: Patrick Roy