Audio Descriptions now available for our Istanbul Documentary

I’m happy to share that BLIND ABROAD - Istanbul documentary, released in May of 2020, is now available to watch with audio descriptions. We aimed for a high s standard of excellence when producing the audio description track thanks to a new workflow known as Kevin’s Way. Please take the time to check out the website for Kevin’s Way whether you’re a producer, distributor, or even audience member. It provides resources on how to go about including Kevin’s Way into your project. As an audience member, there are resources to bring broader awareness of quality audio descriptions to the titles we love as well. 

Although intended for blind and low vision audiences, I believe anyone can benefit from experiencing descriptive media whether it be for cognitive processing or to multitask. I encourage anyone to give the described version of our documentary a listen. I think it'll give you a great taste of how movies are viewed by a majority of blind people. There is still a lack of awareness around descriptions. Platforms such as YouTube have yet to provide native support for it, despite efforts to have the online video platform provide them. We hope Kevin’s Way will bring about a broader awareness of the practice and put pressure on studios and distributors to include the blind community in the craft.

To watch the audio described version of the documentary, visit the Film page and locate the second video embedded towards the bottom. This version is available with a Vimeo player. We will continue to explore our best options to provide accessible viewing experiences for future documentaries. 

Parent Learns His Kids Are Blind - Then He Contacted Me

VIDEO: Parent Learns His Kids Are Blind - Then Contacted Me

When Josh Forbes learned his two sons were diagnosed with legal blindness he was struck with concern and fear for the future of his boys. He turned to the internet for guidance. While surfing through medical articles, and formal information, he eventually stumbled upon YouTube videos, not only on the topic but from young adults who lived with legal blindness. One of these video creators on the platform was me, James Rath.

I was diagnosed with Ocular Albinism and Nystagmus, only a few weeks after I was born. This kind of early diagnosis was not common for those with my ocular conditions. I was fortunate to be born into a family where my Grandfather was an ophthalmologist and had the resources for my parents to get a quick diagnosis. This came after my older brother, was diagnosed two years prior, though his diagnosis would take a few months as my parents didn’t know what exactly they were looking for at the time. 

In 2016 Josh and I met up to talk about navigating adulthood with legal blindness and sharing any insight I could as his boys were still rather young. Recently Josh and I traveled to Istanbul, Turkey before the pandemic and filmed a couple of projects, one of which was the first BLIND ABROAD documentary covering what travel looks like for a blind person and getting to know what kinds of technology blind children in Turkey are using to have access to information and media. 

On the BLIND ABROAD Podcast Josh and I went in-depth about the journey of getting a diagnosis for his boys, along with how we began working on film projects together, including BLIND ABROAD - Istanbul.

Check out this video to hear from Josh about his reaction to learning his kids would be blind.

Listen to the full podcast episode to hear our full hour-long conversation.

How I’m Dealing with a Pandemic as a Legally Blind Person

By Emily Davison. Aged 25, from London, England. 

We are now living through a pandemic. A scenario that our generation has only ever encountered in the works of fiction…until now. 

This is a new world we find ourselves in and we are all trying to adjust to it. But being disabled adds a whole new layer of difficulty to the situation. 

This is what it’s like being legally blind and living through a pandemic. 

Emily in a green floral dress, sits outdoors in a yard with a dog,

Working with a Guide Dog

I’m a guide dog user and one of the biggest issues I’ve faced in lockdown is the limitations on working my guide dog, Unity. I’m considered a more high-risk case due to my illness and as a result, I am unable to go out a lot. However, having a guide dog complicates things even further. 

Guide dogs are used to having a daily workload, they are trained to navigate different social situations like indoor spaces and public transport. Now that I am severely limited on where I can go, it makes being able to give my guide dog that level of work impossible.

Another issue around working my guide dog is when it involves going to more densely populated areas. After all, guide dogs aren’t taught to social distance, and they have no concept of what a 2-metre distance looks like. 

Luckily in the UK the charity Guide Dogs for the Blind Association has equipped the guide dog owner community with resources on ways we can safely entertain our dogs and keep them stimulated. 

Social Distancing 

Having a visual impairment one of my biggest fears is being able to social distance. Social distancing relies dominantly on being able to see, whether it’s markers left on the floors of public places or the people themselves. 

Many of us also have to rely on sighted guidance from others when out and about in unfamiliar situations. However, now that we are living in a society where that level of social contact is no longer possible it makes going out even for a short walk or to shop exceedingly difficult. 

Emily sits on her bed looking out the window. Her room is decorative with plants, and skin-care products.

This is also a huge concern I have when the lockdown is relaxed but social distancing rules remain in place. As the question many of us from the sight loss will be asking is “where will that leave us?” 

Shopping for Groceries

Shopping for groceries for many of us here in the UK who are disabled has been a prominent issue. Over the last few weeks, we have seen thousands of volunteers spring to action to offer aid to the elderly, those with underlying health conditions and disabled people. This is a huge relief to people in my community because trying to shop for groceries is an arduous quest. 

Some supermarkets in the UK are now offering priority delivery slots for people with illnesses and those who are elderly. However, being visually impaired does not immediately guarantee you a ticket for one of these slots. Alongside this, these slots are almost impossible to secure due to them being in such high demand.

Shopping in person isn’t any easier, there are many restrictions in supermarkets which render an easy shopping experience impossible. Only one person per trolley is permitted in a supermarket, making it impossible to bring a sighted guide. There are often trailing queues outside of supermarkets that are difficult to navigate with limited sight.

Strict social distancing rules are in place and there are coloured markers now on floors to indicate the distance between each person. But being visually impaired I can’t see them, neither can I see those around me. There have also been cases here in the UK of supermarkets turning away blind people for fears that they will not be able to adhere to social distancing rules. 

The only way I can obtain groceries is to ask someone else to purchase them.

Highlighting Online Inaccessibility 

Since lockdown first began, we have all been forced to find creative ways of being able to work and socialise online. In the wake of lockdown, there has been a surge in video conferencing apps and social apps like never before. But they too have their barriers. Some of these apps that I have attempted to use have been inaccessible, not being entirely compatible with VoiceOver. 

Now more than ever, social media is vital for everyone in order to continue to function and stay mentally positive during these trying times. Yet I and others from the sight loss community are unable to stay connected due to inaccessibility which can be incredibly isolating. 

A golden fur dog lays out in a yard in front of a pond, Emily sits and pets the dog.

We are all in uncharted waters and we are all simply trying to do the best we can. Many of these things I have discussed today are the unfortunate reality of living through a pandemic and through no fault of anyone. 

Living with sight loss in a fully-sighted world is hard. However, in time you become accustomed to the difficulties and learn to live with them. But living through a pandemic only makes living with a disability that much harder. 

Follow Emily Davison on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Why I Take Pride In My Blindness

By James Rath

One of the most common questions blind people are presented with from our loved ones, peers, and even total strangers are "Can you get surgery to fix your eyes?" I think people like to believe these invasive questions come from a place of good intent, but I don't buy that narrative. I don't want to sit still and let my life pass by me, while I cling onto any little hope for a potential treatment for my blindness. That's no way to live life. 

James Rath outdoors in a city, holds an iPhone close up to his face.

Four years ago I made a short movie that I published to YouTube about how Apple's technology positively impacted my life. It was entitled 'How Apple Saved My Life' and shared my struggle with bullying, accepting my disability, and eventually coming to find the most influential accessible products I had ever had the pleasure to use. Spoiler alert: it was Apple's product(s).

I had received a comment on my movie that I believed questioned why I identify as “legally blind” and claiming the video does a disservice to those in a similar situation. The following is the comment left along with my response from 2016.

Video page on YouTube.com of James’ film ‘How Apple Saved My Life’ it’s paused on an image of James interacting with an Apple Watch.

Commenter:

“I have had nearly the same experience as you, word for word. Enlarged textbooks/worksheets, school administration not understanding or able to manage the problem, a multitude of obnoxious “assistive” apparatuses causing more issues than they solve, and finally, walking into an Apple store on a whim, being shown the zoom feature, and instantly needing a Mac. The accessibility features in the Apple ecosystem are phenomenal and have (from what I can tell) ALWAYS surpassed what is available on Windows. ZoomText, ZoomIt, QZoom, and native Magnifier are terrible and extremely resource-intensive. Also, the ability to map special keyboard or mouse buttons to various functions were often unreliable.

On iOS, being able to change the minimum font size / enable large text is just essential for me. Applications that do not respect these often go unused or are deleted. (I’m looking at you, Trillian!)

While I do support the overall message of your video (shining a spotlight on something infinitely undervalued) the way it is presented does a disservice to those in a similar situation.

With 20/200 vision myself and having been engaged with state, federal, and private entities that deal with visually impaired people, I can say that the average person’s stigma towards those who are different has a very clear source. Within this community, there seems to be a constant need to draw attention to, discuss, and project the fact that you aren't like everyone else. (I am speaking about an individual with normal emotional and intellectual capacities.)

Instead of someone (who has been a part of this system) introducing themselves like “Hi, I’m Tom!”, it is instead “Hi, I’m Tom! I have a disability. I am unable to //whatever// as well as other people. But I can assure you, I am just as equal and valuable a member of society as everyone else. Please, ask me about how I am different, I will explain at length but in a way that makes me seem just like you. Then let me, the current self-appointed official representative, point out what is wrong with society and how you have contributed to our collective suffering as disabled persons.” 

There is no question concerning if a blind or visually impaired person has things more difficult than a “normal” person. At the same time, when we come into this world, we’re given a set of cards. It’s up to you how you play them and to adapt to when things go sideways. Some have it easy, some have it interesting; such is life.

Continually pointing out that someone is different, even if it is meant in a positive or supportive way does not help them cope with their situation. It does the exact opposite. Often causing them to become the personification of the difference. It becomes their identity. Who they are, their options, way of expressing themselves, and, in some cases, a crutch to use when things get hard. And why shouldn’t they do this? After all, they’re disabled, this is acceptable, and the world is a mean unfair place anyway.“

This is how I responded to the prior comment back in 2016.

James Rath:

“Thank you for your comment. I understand your perspective and where you’re coming from but from my standpoint, as an artist, I identify with what makes me stand out, what makes my art the way it is. I identify as legally blind, because I am, and it is heavily influenced in my art, passions, and activism. I encourage people to identify however they see themselves and feel impacts their daily life.

If Tom wants to simply identify as Tom, I see nothing wrong with that, but if James wants to identify as a legally blind filmmaker, there should be nothing wrong with that either. In a social setting I will usually simply introduce myself as James, and when the time calls for it I’ll mention that I have a visual impairment if it’s appropriate to the situation.

When it comes to a professional event, however, I’ll usually introduce myself, then mention I’m legally blind. That often sparks a question or an interest in the receiving end of the conversation. It allows me an opportunity to educate the individual on what my abilities are, how I manage and overcome my limitations, and what it’s made me passionate about creating, and pursuing. It usually creates a good conversation and a great lasting impression on the receiving end when I present myself with confidence, honesty, and want to clean the room of any ignorance. Again, I believe it’s up to the individual with the disability to choose how they identify. This film is rightfully my identity, my story, my thanks to Apple, and my piece of art, no one else’s. Thanks again for your comment and for watching! “

James Rath holds a cinema camera up to the photographer. His White Cane is held to his chest. Tall buildings in downtown Los Angeles stand behind him midday.

Reflection

Even though this comment and my response was originally posted four years ago, nothing has changed. I'm a filmmaker, I'm legally blind, but I'm also a 'blind filmmaker'. As I shared in 'How Apple Saved My Life' I was heavily bullied as a child for being different, for having a disability. As I matured, I came to realize the realities of my life circumstance. I don't practice medicine, I don't research disorders or diseases rather, I make movies and tell stories. For the last couple of decades, there has been "promising" research and developments into potential cures or treatment for my particular ocular conditions, but in my eyes, it's a waste of resources. Blindness is one thing, but the number of particular disorders, diseases, that can trigger sight loss is countless. 

Disabilities directly impact 1 in 7 people worldwide. That's a billion people that will experience disability in their lifetime. Beyond that, the scope and spectrum of disabilities are so vast, and how they’re acquired is a different story for everyone. Even with this community being the largest minority, it's largely the most excluded from society. As a filmmaker, sharing my story, I've come to connect with so many people, all looking for one common thing, access.

I identify as a blind or legally blind person because there is a sense of pride with that title when I confidently navigate an inaccessible world that continuously sets itself up for failure. Disability can and will impact every person, at any point in life whether directly or indirectly. We can't be bothered with the false promise that we can just cure any slight difference in the human condition because historically we've seen it as inferior. We're supposed to be a civilized society in the 21st century, let's start acting like it. It's been proven that accessibility practices have universal benefits that have led to such innovations such as email and SMS, play-by-play commentary, and ramps. In 2020 I can't believe we're still implementing sets of steps in this already inaccessible world. 

In conclusion, I feel a sense of pride in the fact that I was born with two rare ocular conditions, it's like I chose to start life as a video game on hard mode. Yes, there are going to be obstacles, but I believe there is purpose in my struggles. My aforementioned commenter said, "when we come into this world, we’re given a set of cards. It’s up to you how you play them." This is how I'm playing my cards, using my medium, filmmaking, as a way to bring awareness to the society we've built that has failed a billion and more people. I don’t believe my work is doing a disservice to my community. By sharing my story, by helping to share the stories of others with disabilities, I hope to continue to push forward in my mission, and that is to help you 'see different'.