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

Kim Charlson on accessibility, leadership, Braille, and the future of independent access

Kim Charlson, executive director of the Perkins Braille and Talking Book Library, joins Eyes and Lows to trace how a career in accessible library services became a lifelong mission in advocacy, leadership, and innovation. She reflects on how technology, Braille, and policy have reshaped what independence can look like for blind, low-vision, deafblind, and print-disabled people.We discuss how access to information is about far more than reading books—it affects employment, education, community participation, and human rights. Kim also shares concrete examples of new tools and programs changing everyday life, from refreshable Braille and the Braille Bloom to library lending models and international book sharing

.Key topics

• Kim explains how an early interest in advocacy led her from the Oregon State Library to a master’s degree in library science and eventually to Perkins.
• She describes how library automation, computers, email, and modern assistive tech made library work more accessible over time.
• Kim shares what it meant to become one of the first totally blind people in the United States to earn a master’s in library science.
• She talks about building a leadership path through volunteer work, state and national blindness organizations, and learning to lead by collaborating rather than barging in.
• The conversation explores how independence changed for her over time, especially when she moved from Oregon to Massachusetts and had to rebuild her routines and support system.
• Kim emphasizes that Braille and audio are complementary tools, not replacements for one another, and explains why Braille remains essential for literacy, accuracy, and daily living.
• She highlights the role of National Library Service programs in providing free access to audiobooks, Braille, and refreshable Braille devices for eligible users.
• Kim introduces the Braille Bloom, an attachment that turns a Perkins Brailler into a Bluetooth keyboard for writing, email, forms, and classroom use.
• She outlines Perkins’ “library of things,” including assistive tech demos, kitchen tools, tactile models, and 3D-printed educational objects.
• Kim reflects on the Marrakesh Treaty as one of her biggest professional highs because it lets countries share accessible books and avoid duplicating production efforts.

About Kim Charlson

• Executive director of the Perkins Braille and Talking Book Library,
• Holds a master’s degree in library science.
• Blind library professional and longtime advocate for accessible information.
• Has spent more than four decades working in accessible library services.
• Helped advance the Marrakesh Treaty, which supports international sharing of accessible books
• Advocates for access to Braille, audiobooks, and assistive technology

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

Eyes and Lows with Dr. Ann Wagner

In this episode, Dr. Walker speaks with Dr. Ann Wagner, a board-certified clinical psychologist who spent 26 years working with veterans experiencing PTSD and trauma-related challenges. Dr. Wagner also shares her lived experience of blindness from retinitis pigmentosa, bringing together professional insight and personal perspective as she explores grief, anxiety, adjustment, resilience, and the emotional reality of vision loss.The conversation focuses on how people can adapt to blindness without denying the difficult parts, why grief is a natural part of vision loss, and how community, language, and compassionate support can make the adjustment process feel less isolating. Dr. Wagner also offers thoughtful insight into relationships, asking for help, and practicing self-compassion.

Key Topics

• Dr. Ann Wagner’s background as a clinical psychologist and her lived experience with retinitis pigmentosa
• Growing up in a family with blindness and learning independence through a supportive “figure it out” culture
• How family support, social expectations, and stigma can shape emotional adjustment
• Why narrative therapy and the social model of disability can be deeply validating
• The role of therapy, state services, and accommodations in supporting adjustment to vision loss
• Why grief is a central part of progressive vision loss, including grief for time, independence, identity, and imagined futures
• The Tuttle and Tuttle phases of adjustment and why acceptance cannot be rushed
• How helplessness and grief can point to core values, not just distress
• The importance of community, especially for people who feel isolated or are the only one they know with vision loss
• How naming relationship dilemmas can help couples balance support, independence, and “help by not helping”

About Dr. Ann Wagner

• Board-certified clinical psychologist
• 26 years working with veterans experiencing PTSD and trauma-related challenges
• Retired from the VA in 2023
• Currently focused on consulting and invited speaking
• Lives with blindness caused by retinitis pigmentosa
• Serves on the Mental Health Advisory Council for the Foundation Fighting Blindness
• Email:drannwagner@gmail.com

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