Blindsight explores life through a different lens—sharing real conversations at the intersection of blindness, mental health, relationships, and personal growth. Hosted by Bill Lundgren, each episode spotlights lived experience, hard-won resilience, and the moments people don’t always know how to talk about out loud. From navigating family dynamics and identity to battling anxiety, depression, or addiction—and finding traction again—Blindsight makes space for honesty, hope, and practical perspective. With compelling guests and real-life stories, it’s a podcast for anyone who wants to understand more deeply, feel less alone, and keep moving forward—one brave conversation at a time.
This service is made possible by generous donations. Consider supporting us at www.aftersight.org
to help keep these resources free. Aftersight also provides free white canes, support groups, and more, all thanks to contributions from our community.
All content for Blindsight is the property of Aftersight and is served directly from their servers
with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
Blindsight explores life through a different lens—sharing real conversations at the intersection of blindness, mental health, relationships, and personal growth. Hosted by Bill Lundgren, each episode spotlights lived experience, hard-won resilience, and the moments people don’t always know how to talk about out loud. From navigating family dynamics and identity to battling anxiety, depression, or addiction—and finding traction again—Blindsight makes space for honesty, hope, and practical perspective. With compelling guests and real-life stories, it’s a podcast for anyone who wants to understand more deeply, feel less alone, and keep moving forward—one brave conversation at a time.
This service is made possible by generous donations. Consider supporting us at www.aftersight.org
to help keep these resources free. Aftersight also provides free white canes, support groups, and more, all thanks to contributions from our community.
In this heartfelt and inspiring episode of Blindsight, host Bill Lundgren sits down with Neva Fairchild—an advocate, counselor, and technological leader in the blind community—for a powerful conversation about resilience, adaptation, and acceptance. Born with a visual impairment that went undiagnosed until preschool, Neva takes us through her journey of coping with undiagnosed Stargardt disease, the challenges of navigating school without accommodations, and ultimately building a career that has reshaped the lives of others with vision loss.
Neva shares how she learned to stop hiding her condition, embraced assistive technology, and found her true calling later in life among those who not only lived with blindness—but thrived in it. Her story is a call to action to advocate for better services, honest conversations with doctors and families, and the dignity that comes from asking for help.
Neva’s journey is one of transformation—from a child who struggled to be understood, to a national leader who now empowers others to live well with vision loss.
Key Topics Covered:
Neva’s early signs of vision loss and misdiagnosis
Learning to pass in a sighted world and the emotional toll
Breaking through shame and isolation by meeting others with blindness
How technology and the right support changed everything
Her work with AFB and advocacy for older adults with vision loss
The importance of honesty, asking for help, and normalizing blindness
Chapter Markers:
00:00 – Welcome to Blindsight
01:00 – Neva’s diagnosis and early childhood struggles
04:45 – Going blind in adulthood: The emotional and medical shock
07:00 – Coping mechanisms, stubbornness, and a hunger to live fully
10:00 – The power of blind community and assistive technology
12:20 – Transitioning from enlargement to screen readers
14:30 – The shame of visibility and learning to accept her identity
17:00 – Career in blindness rehab and helping others thrive
21:00 – Advocacy for better doctor referrals and more vision specialists
23:45 – Final advice: "Blindness isn’t a character flaw"
26:00 – Closing thoughts and contact info
Blindsight
Blindsight explores life through a different lens—sharing real conversations at the intersection of blindness, mental health, relationships, and personal growth. Hosted by Bill Lundgren, each episode spotlights lived experience, hard-won resilience, and the moments people don’t always know how to talk about out loud. From navigating family dynamics and identity to battling anxiety, depression, or addiction—and finding traction again—Blindsight makes space for honesty, hope, and practical perspective. With compelling guests and real-life stories, it’s a podcast for anyone who wants to understand more deeply, feel less alone, and keep moving forward—one brave conversation at a time.
This service is made possible by generous donations. Consider supporting us at www.aftersight.org
to help keep these resources free. Aftersight also provides free white canes, support groups, and more, all thanks to contributions from our community.
