This is me living my unexpected life. I was affected with Lebers Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON
You Keep Growing.
🖤
On happy days. You keep growing.
On dark days. You keep growing.
On amazing days. You keep growing.
On annoying days. You keep growing.
On exhilarating days. You keep growing.
On dreaded days. You keep growing.
On easy days. You keep growing.
On hard days. You keep growing.
On painful days. You keep growing.
On pain-free days. You keep growing.
On scary days. You keep growing.
On successful days. You keep growing.
🖤
Every day. Keep growing.
Let's forgive ourselves for the times we were made to feel "less than" and did nothing about it.
Because I have central vision loss, with some remaining peripheral vision (although not that great), I use magnification to visually read or look at things. I use my CCTV every single day and always have my handheld video magnifier ready to go if needed. If you’re not sure what magnifiers may work for you, This video series may help! 
A magnifier can be a handy tool, with many options to consider.
With the officially underway, learn how blind and visually impaired athletes train for, try out for and compete in the Olympic and Paralympic Games. https://www.allaboutvision.com/resources/human-interest/visually-impaired-athletes-olympics/
I bought the Blind Barbie fashionista doll! 🩷
Pouring any kind of sauce, on any kind of food, can be challenging. Like pouring taco sauce on tacos…😬
👏👏 A brilliant poem about the new blind Barbie by Dave Steele The Blind Poet!  🩷 (Poem in comments)
Fantastic!!! 🙌👩🦯🩷
Released as part of this year’s global Barbie Fashionistas lineup, Barbie partnered with the American Foundation for the Blind and National Down Syndrome Society to ensure doll designs accurately reflect the community they are designed to represent EL SEGUNDO, Calif., July 23rd, 2024 – Mattel, I...
All of this! 👏👏👏
When people who are sighted say “Hello” to someone who is blind or partially sighted, a few AWESOME and helpful things happen!
1. When you know our name, it is helpful when you use it to greet or address us. Saying “Hi Gina” lets me know for sure that you are talking to me. Often, many of us who have low to no vision don’t always know it is us that you are talking too.
2. When you introduce yourself to us and tell us your name, it allows us to make a connection with you that we cannot do visually. Example: “Hello, I am Shelly the store manager” or “Hello I am Brian, we met a couple times at the bus stop.” This helps us identify who you are.
3. When you say “Hi Gina, this is Cory from the flower shop on Maple street” you get my attention, I know for sure you are talking to me, and I know who I am talking with. We then have a normal interaction with each other.
4. It can often be difficult to identify someone by voice alone - even if we know you well. Surrounding sounds can interfere with our ability to recognize a voice -- even ones that are familiar to us. The sounds of daily life like traffic, kids playing, coffee brewing, photocopiers printing, people talking, or music playing in the background are distractions that can take away from identifying you by your voice.
5. Being quiet and not announcing your presence to those of us who are blind or partially sighted can feel very unsettling - even scary for some of us because we cannot visually see your intentions. Please use your voice and just say “Hello.” We take your Hello as that nod, smile, or acknowledgement people with sight give each other throughout the day. When you do this, you are treating us like everyone else and that is all we really want.
6. If you want to shake our hand, it is appreciated when you let us know, as many of us may not see your gesture. Saying something like "I'm extending my hand to shake yours" or "May I shake your hand" works just fine.
7. Please do say goodbye, see you later, or "I’ve got to go" when you leave so we don’t continue talking to someone who is no longer there.
So please when you notice us, say “Hello,” introduce yourself, and learn our name so the next time we meet we will know who you are and we can share a friendly acknowledgment together.
“Losing my sight has not changed who I am, it has changed my interactions with the world.” Gina Martin.
Breaking through Barriers
Follow me on my Diverse Abilities page to learn more😃
https://www.facebook.com/DisabilityAwarenessConsultant
Diverse Abilities offers Youth, Senior’s, Community and Workspace training in inclusion and accessibility.
www.DiverseAbilities.ca
Photo Description
Gina standing on a walkway, holding her white cane and smiling.
“We could never learn to be brave and patient if there were only joy in the world.”
- Helen Keller
Wait! What? These take "Bump-Dots" to a new level!
These are HALOS, a revolutionary new idea that utilizes universal icon design to make products easier to use for the blind community. If you're a fan of the ...
Standing at the podium - owning the moment.
There's something incredibly empowering about standing at a podium, not with fear, but with a heart full of excitement and confidence. As you take your place, the world seems to slow down just for you. You feel a surge of energy, knowing that this is your moment to shine bright, share your presence, and make a lasting impact with your voice.
What she said! 👇🏼
If tacos can fall apart and still be messy and amazing, so can you! 😉
Some post LHON Conference thoughts.
😊
I'm so deeply thankful to my incredible LHON conference team for all their time, efforts, dedication, creativity, and laughter when things got to the "WTH?" level in planning the 2024 LHON Conference. The work done by so many, before and during the conference, created a memorable event for all who attended!
A special thank you to these two ladies right here, Jessica and Lissa, for being by my side through it all. Without their commitment and work on this event, it would not be what it is! So grateful for their support, friendship, and their belief in me!! 🥰
It was an honor to be the conference chair for another year, and I am truly humbled by all the positive feedback I have received personally and seen on social media. The impact of this conference cannot be measured or explained. It just can't. I truly hope ALL, especially the first-timers, experienced the core of this conference: B.E.L.O.N.G. -- Bonding, Empowerment, Learning, Overcoming, Nurturing, and Growth -- and left with new hope, strength, and friendships. Oh, and, plans to attend NEXT year's conference too! 😄💖 🙌 I know I'll be there! 😉
Listening to the fireworks on a gorgeous summer night. 🎆 Happy Fourth of July! ❤️🤍💙
LHON can take away your vision, but it can also add incredible people and powerful purpose to your life.
The ribbons attached to my conference name badge tell my purpose for part of the year inside the LHON Community.
Last week was amazing at the 2024 LHON (Lebers Hereditary Optic Neuropathy) Conference held in Cleveland, Ohio! I have been involved in this conference since 2014 and steped into the role of Conference Chair 3 years ago. So many thoughts and photos to share - but I need a hot minute to breathe and sit with the experience, heartwarming feedback, and friendships that feel more like family! 🥰
We’ve landed in Cleveland Ohio and are ready to rock the 2024LHON Conference! It’s my third year as Conference chair with my partner in crime Jessica by my side! Super excited for another amazing event with great people! 😊🙌👩🏼🦯
If you don't make time to work on creating the life you want, you will eventually be forced to spend a lot of time dealing with a life you don't want.
[💯💯💯💯]

For all the fully sighted friends and family we encounter on a daily basis… This is some great information! 
When interacting with those of us who are blind or who have vision loss. Here are a couple helpful tips that are greatly appreciated when you do them.
It is very helpful to announce your name as you approach. Example. “Hi Gina, it’s me Kris” When you do this:
1) It lets us know that you are speaking to us. When we can’t see who is talking, we don’t always know who you are. Sometimes we say hello to be polite but are not 100% sure who you are.
2) Often when someone is talking, we do not always know for sure if you are actually talking to us or to someone else. By addressing us by name, or introducing yourself “Hi I am Ella, the store manager,” then we know for sure you are talking to us.
3) It can be difficult at times to recognize a person by voice alone, even someone we know well. When you use our name, we find it very helpful. Remember, we do not have the visual cues that people with full sight use to recognize each other easily.
4) Our surrounding environment has many noises like traffic, people talking, kids playing outside, or the photocopier printing. There might be coffee brewing, a radio playing, or other background noises that make the sound of your voice more difficult to pick out.
5) If you see us and we don’t acknowledge you, please do get our attention. Often there are distractions that sighted people don’t recognize as being a distraction. Please think about this. When you cannot see an image, so you rely heavily on your hearing to be aware of your surroundings, it makes it even more difficult to identify someone when there are surrounding noises. Please get our attention because I guarantee you, we would really like to know that it is you so we can say hi and connect.
We really do appreciate a verbal “hello” because we can not see your friendly smile, nod or gesture.
Gina Martin
I offer tailored training/lunch and learn or consultations to support businesses in their transition to inclusivity and accessibility, when serving or hiring people with disabilities or diverse abilities. Practical, easy to learn, easy to implement strategies, is what I offer. Change happens when you reach out to me. 👇🏽
www.DiverseAbilities.ca
Found this little gem I wrote in 2016 - twoish years after I became legally blind. It seems like the right day to share with all the bold and beautiful blind Mammas out there!! Happy Mother's Day! 🩷🌼💜
"She Is The Best"
by Girl Gone Blind | 2016
A Mom is strong, and almost never wrong.
A Mom is pretty, and sometimes quite witty.
A Mom may be mean, yet always on your team.
A Mom is kind, and won't let you fall too far behind.
A Mom is special, and you will find, that she is the best - even if she is blind.
This sounds awesome! 
Honda has developed an innovative web application utilizing AI technology to help expand the joy of the journey to the blind and visually impaired by creatin...
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Girl Gone Blind posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Send a message to Girl Gone Blind:
I bought the Blind Barbie fashionista doll! 🩷
Pouring any kind of sauce, on any kind of food, can be challenging. Like pouring taco sauce on tacos…😬
Hmmmm… You don’t look blind. #Blind #BlindGirl #VisionLoss #LHON
Blind girl Christmas shopping! It kind of looks like a lobster, right??!?? 🦞🤣 OK, it’s a moose head, but the outline is pretty close to a lobster!! #BlindGirl #Blind #VisionLoss #LHON #ChristmasShopping #Christmas
Lighting a three wick Christmas candle when you’re blind. If you know, you know! #Blind #VisionLoss #LowVision #VisuallyImpaired #LHON #ChristmasCandle #IfYouKnowYouKnow
Pumpkin spice overnight oats, or was it? ?? 🧡😜 #Blind #BlindGirl #VisionLoss #LHON #PumpkinPie #OvernightOats #HealthyJourney
I thought people were calling me “party popper“! Then I was told the truth! 😳😂 #Blind #VisionLoss #Voiceover #Accessibility #BlindGirl #LHON
Sometimes I forget to put my white cane back in my purse… Or as some people call it, “my stick“! #Blind #VisionLoss #LHON #BlindGirl #WhiteKane
Using an Apple TV remote with Siri to find a video for my grandson! This video series is great for parents or grandparents who have low vision! #Blind #VisionLoss #LHON #BlindGrandmother #heybearvideos #heybear
I can’t see my hair color, but I still get my hair did!! #Blind #VisionLoss #HairColor #BlindGirlBeauty #HairDay #LHON #OpticNeuropathy #RareDisease
A conversation with one of the residents at my mom‘s memory care! Rowena is so sassy! 😂 #Dementia #MemoryLoss #MemoryCare
Halloween parties! They can be a little extra challenging if you’re blind! 💀👻🎃 🧛♂️ #Halloween #HalloweenParty #Blind #BlindGirl #LHON #LowVision
Crushing these last few Blind girl pity party pounds on the treadmill! How do I use my treadmill as a blind girl? Bump dots are a Blind girls best friend! #Blind #BlindGirl #VisionLoss #LHON #Fitness #NoExcuses
I’m all for adding protein to my coffee but not this! #BlindGirlMoment
Vintage video | The many attempts to film me demonstrating my talking clock! 🤣🤣🤣 #Blind #BlindGirl #LHON
Costco is selling the retro “Pac-Man“ arcade game and I had to stop and see if I still had my sweet skills!! I think I still got it… Even with my vision loss!! The contrast is nice and if I could get my face even closer to the screen—damn, I’d be killin‘ it! #Blind #BlindGirl #VisionLoss #LHON
Trying to drink more water and coming up with creative ways by adding sugar-free skinny syrups to my water! #SkinnySyrup #WeightLoss #BlindGirl #Blind #LHON
IF YOU'RE BLIND... "How can YOU do that?" "Would YOU even enjoy that?" "Why would YOU pursue that?" "Will YOU really be able to do that?" - I get these questions all the time. As a blind person, I have a choice as to how I handle them. . Educate. OR Get Irate. . Choose wisely. People don't know what they don't know. Don't let the world think we're all "Angry Andys" and "Pissed Off Pollys".
Want your business to be the top-listed Media Company?
