Author: Empish
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5 Writing Podcasts I Love and You Will Too
International Podcast Day My close friends and family know how much I love a good podcast because I talk about them constantly. From news to health to technology to pop culture, my interest run the gamut. One specific kind of podcast I really enjoy is on the writing craft and ways to enhance my freelance…
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I Can’t Talk Like a Pirate But I’m Disabled Like One
Ahoy matey! Blow me down and brush me barnacles. It’s time for a swashbuckling adventurous trip across the sea. This is my short, meager attempt to talk like a pirate. HaHa! Tuesday, September 19 is International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Since I can’t converse like a pirate I decided to focus on their disability…
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Self-care is Maintaining My Two Pairs of Eyes
Usually when you hear the word self-care images of someone meditating, eating a healthy meal or getting rest may come to mind. Those images are accurate yet not complete. Self-care is also caring for your eyes. This essential part of the body can easily be taken for granted or neglected especially if they no longer…
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Interested in a Short Graphic Novel as a Full Cast Audiobook? Read When Stars Are Scattered
I don’t typically read graphic novels. The first and last one I read was about the late Congressman John Lewis. Although I enjoyed learning about this Georgia politician and civil rights leader, I struggled with the audio format. It was hard to stay focused and there was confusion between the reading of the book and…
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Resent Ablism? Here’s How I Forgive and Move On
A huge part of living with a disability is enduring ablism. Yes, I said enduring because it is something I put up with on a regular basis. Sometimes it is very subtle like saying I don’t look disabled. Other times it is glaringly obvious like designing inaccessible websites or apps. What is Ablism? First, let’s…
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How the 5 Stages of Grief Apply to My Vision Loss
Before I went blind, when I would hear the word “grieving”, I only thought about the loss of a loved one or close friend. It never crossed my mind to consider loss in other ways. For example, the loss of a job, loss of a home during a natural disaster , the loss of a…
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Can’t Drive? Read How I Hit the Road With No Vision
Years ago when I moved to Georgia, I was working on getting my driver’s license. I had signed up with a local driving school. They would pick me up after work and we would practice for about an hour driving all over town. We worked on driving on the freeway and busy city streets. We…
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11 Self-Editing Tips for Blind and Sighted Writers
Last week I attended a writing discussion group for blind and low vision writers and authors. The Hadley Institute for the Blind and Print Impaired hosted this monthly meeting. We shared self-editing tips. When crafting an article, blog post, essay, poem or even a book, editing is critical. Self-editing even more so. I want to…
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Do You Read Or Listen to Audiobooks? I’m a Reader and Here’s Why
August 9 was National Book Lovers Day and it got me to thinking. Am I listening to an audiobook or reading it? My answer is reading it. Since I am blind I read audiobooks. We have been reading books in audio format for decades. Around 1934 talking books were included in the National Library Service…
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Online Grocery Shopping Improved Since Beginning of Pandemic
In April 2020, I wrote a post about my struggles with online grocery shopping. How I was mostly having problems with product availability. This was the very beginning of the pandemic where many people were jumping onboard the online grocery shopping train. Here’s the issue. I was pushed out. See, I had already been riding…
Empish J. Thomas 