Welcome to Navigating Blindness. My name is Kim and I’m a married mother of two sons. Our youngest, Kai, began to unexpectedly lose his sight at the age of ten. We were crushed and had no idea how to help him.
Fast forward eleven years and Kai has learned to read braille, navigate with a guide dog, and advocate for himself. In 2020, our third round of genetic testing and Casey Eye Panel revealed that Kai has a rare condition called ABCA4-linked Retinopathy plus Autoimmune Retinopathy. In 2021 he graduated as valedictorian of his large public high school and moved away to college. He’s a jazz drummer, sponsored skimboarder, skater, and surfer. He’s determined to embrace vision loss and live his life to the fullest. We’ve learned so much and we want to share our experience with you!
Vision loss and autoimmune disease have deeply impacted our family and have enriched our lives in ways we never could have imagined. It’s not been easy, but our lives are filled with opportunities for growth as we learn to accept and navigate blindness, together.
This blog contains information about our day-to-day wins and challenges as well as blindness awareness, braille advocacy, mainstream education, and inclusivity. You can access our three most popular blog posts here: A New Way to See, Blindness and the Sixteenth Birthday & Our Mediation Experience.
Please note that every single post is reviewed by Kai before being published. He gives his consent before anything is shared publicly. He will often add to what I’ve written or he will write his own post. He also speaks publicly about his sight loss and his articles and interviews can be found on our features page.
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Let’s navigate blindness together. – Kim Owens
Image Description: A family photo. Cash, Kim, Chris, and Kai stand together on a staircase. Kai holds a white cane.
Navigating Blindness 