by Stephen Kuusisto (Nationally-known poet and disability advocate Stephen Kuusisto writes the “Planet of the Blind” blog on WordPress. The following is his post there from July 2.) Because this is “Disability Pride Month” and owing to my own disability I must reveal I’m not “feeling it” as they say. Don’t get …
Category Archives: blindness
Suit Alleges DraftKings Violates ADA
by Kevin Burton Uh-oh, looks as if two of my in-groups have beef. A blind man has filed a federal class-action lawsuit against DraftKings, alleging that the gaming company’s website is not accessible to blind users. DraftKings is a daily fantasy sports and sports betting company founded in Boston in 2012. The …
Making Good Use Of Trapped Time
by Kevin Burton It’s twenty minutes to 10 a.m. on a Saturday. My wife and I have agreed that Bible study will be at 10. She’s on the phone. I have twenty minutes to use or lose. What to do? I can’t get into a project that’s too complicated, but neither do …
Reality Intrudes Upon Laverne And Shirley
by Kevin Burton Shame on me for this, but there was a time when I believed every word of the song from Laverne and Shirley. That show ran from 1976 to 1983 on ABC. It was a big hit for its first few years, a spinoff from the very popular “Happy Days.” It …
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Blind Rock Climber Has Life In Focus
by Kevin Burton After seeing one too many stories about blindness that was full of stereotypes and stupidity, I started a conversation. I wrote about how my time as a newsman who happens to be legally blind made me sensitive to misconceptions about blindness that seep into society through the pages of …
Grandma’s Joy And Suing To Get There
by Kevin Burton What’s so grand about being a grandma? I took that question to an expert in the field. She’s had days and days of experience so she knows whereof she speaks; my friend Tracy from North Carolina. Her first grandchild was born last Friday in Cincinnati. “Lucy Jane Duffy …
Seeing The World As A Blind Newsman
by Kevin Burton I’ve heard some speeches, I’ve made some speeches. In the end, I am speechless. For years I was a self-styled superhero, defending the blind from the ignorant and the arrogant. I had logic on my side. I had passion. But that metaphorical cape I wore on the job, I …
Plans Evaporate Into A Dose Of Real Life
by Kevin Burton One day at the Ohio State School for the Blind, my roommates and I put a sign on our door: “No houseparents allowed.” We were two fourth graders and a third grader, establishing boundaries, setting up rules. In due time the houseparent, Kitty Thomason, walked by and read our …
Love My Good Friends And Fried Chicken
by Kevin Burton Gonna tell you a funny story, then tell you what it means to me beyond the humor. My friend Tracy sent me the story. Not sure where she got it. It is told from the perspective of a school-aged child: “Our teacher asked what my favorite animal was, I …
Paul Exhorted Others To Run A Good Race
by Kevin Burton Watching the Olympics, you can see the runners’ supreme effort etched upon their faces. If you have run track yourself, you know that moment of truth begins long before the actual race does. School is out at the Earthly School for the Spiritually Blind (ESSB). We’re now at an after-school track practice. …
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