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Reading:
Books K-8
The Black Book of Colors by Menena Cotin and Rosana Faria
This tactile book uses raised lines, descriptions of colors based on imagery, and Braille letters to give sighted readers a glimpse into the world of blindness.
Do You Remember the Color Blue? by Sally Hobart Alexander
Sally lost her sight at the age of twenty-six, and although the experience was devastating, eventually her life changed in positive ways she never expected. The author answers thirteen thought-provoking questions that children have asked her over the years about being blind.
Books for Teens
Seeing Beyond Sight: Photographs by Blind Teenagers by Tony Deifell
Educator Tony Deifell taught his blind students to take pictures as an innovative, multi-sensory means of self-expression. Their intuitive images are surprising and often beautiful.
Long Time, No See by Beth Finke
Author Beth Finke became blind at the age of twenty-six as a result of juvenile diabetes. This autobiography chronicles the challenges she faced in her career and family life, as well as a rocky training period with her seeing-eye dog.
Crashing Through by Robert Kurson
Blinded at age three, Mike May defied expectations by breaking world records in downhill speed skiing, joining the CIA, and becoming a successful inventor, entrepreneur, and family man. He had never yearned for vision. Then, in 1999, a chance encounter brought startling news: a revolutionary stem cell transplant surgery that could restore his sight.
Books for adults:
The Aging Eye by Harvard Medical School
A user-friendly guide for everyone over fifty, The Aging Eye discusses three common eye disorders that pose the greatest threat to vision: cataracts, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration. This valuable guide will help you determine whether you are at risk of developing these disorders, describes their symptoms, and discusses diagnosis and the latest treatments.
Watching:
Non-Fiction Films
Do You Dream in Color?
Connor, Nick, Sarah and Carina are like most teenagers navigating the growing pains of high school, but unlike their peers these four teens face another challenge – they’re blind. (74 min)
Notes on Blindness
This powerful documentary dramatizes the life of writer and theologian John Hull, who for three years kept an audio diary on his experience of blindness. The 90-minute film, which also exists as a 12-minute New York Times Op Doc, features Hull’s original audio recordings.
Bowling Blind
A light hearted 35-minute documentary film that chronicles the ups and downs of the Metropolitan Blind Bowling League.
YouTube Channels
The Tommy Edison Experience
Tommy Edison, who has been blind since birth, answers the most common questions about being blind in this funny but informative series. With over 100 videos and counting, this is an excellent resource for free exploration by students.
Listening:
Radio Stories
Invisibilia: How to Become Batman
Daniel Kish, profiled in this episode of the NPR podcast Invisibilia, lost his sight as a toddler. Raised to be fearless, Kish discovered that by making clicking sounds with his mouth, he could actually echolocate his way through the world. As an adult, Kish embarks on a quest to combat low expectations for the blind in today’s society.
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