Over the course of my career, I have accomplished many goals and achievements. Those successes are featured and highlighted below.
* In October 2023,I was the keynote speaker for Accessibility Day at Odessa College, located in Odessa, Texas. Over a live video conference call I gave an hour presentation titled, “How I Live, Work and Play Using Accessible Websites.”
Before a group of 83 faculty and staff members, I talked about what is website accessibility and why it matters. I described my journey through the digital world as a writer and blogger with a visual impairment and what it’s like when I encounter inaccessible information online.
*In September 2023, I was a guest on RNIB Connect Radio, a 24-hour radio station for people with vision loss. During the interview I shared about my vision loss and career as a writer.
*In July 2023, my post on the 7 Lessons I Learned From Working Remotely in a Call Center was voted as #1 of the Top 5 Most Clicked News Articles for two weeks in a row in the Access Information News Newsletter. This publication provides weekly news in access information for the blind and low vision community to over 10K subscribers.
*In November 2022 I gave a 15-minute presentation for the 2022 WordPress Accessibility Day. My talk was titled, “A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: How Alt Text Communicates Accessibility and Inclusion.” I highlighted the importance of using alt text for images from a blind perspective. I shared best practices and my own personal experience.
*In October 2022, in honor of National Disability Employment Awareness Month I hosted a presentation titled “Level Up Your Career with an Eye-Catching Profile on LinkedIn.” During the event, I discussed the essential sections of your LinkedIn profile and how they impact your career. This presentation was sponsored and recorded by Bold Blind Beauty. You can listen to the presentation at this link.
* In March 2022, I was featured on the WordPress.com blog. They launched a new interview series called favorites where bloggers, creators and various entrepreneurs are asked a few questions about their life, passion and career
* In February 2022 my submission, “Reading Library Books Helps Me Survive a Pandemic”, was published in an anthology sponsored by the DeKalb County Library System. The anthology is titled “Strengths, Courage and Inspiration During the coronavirus.” Submissions were written by library patrons on how they were dealing with the pandemic.
* In December 2021, I was a guest on the Writing Works Wonders podcast. During the show I shared how I reinvented myself as a writer, became an advocate for people with disabilities and use my writing to encourage and inspire others.
* In October 2021, In honor of Blind Americans Equality Day, I hosted a 3-part webinar at DeKalb County Public Library. The webinars were on Zoom and were for people with vision loss. In each session I addressed how people with a vision impairment could learn about various community resources available along with numerous options to access reading materials and ways to stay engaged in their community.
* In August 2018, I shared my life story for the University of Georgia’s Our Stories Our Lives Oral History Project.
* In October 2018 I gave the welcome message for the Vocational Rehabilitation agency and Tools for Life National Disability Employment Awareness event. I also sat on the panel for the day’s event answering questions about being disabled and employment.
* In October 2017 and 2018 I participated consecutively as a “human book” in the DeKalb County Library System Human Book Project. At my booth I shared with library patrons, who “checked me out”, my life as a writer and person with a disability.
* In 2014 I was featured in the ASMS Products calendar for the month of March. This company offers thousands of advertising promotional products and imprinted gift items for campaigns that support the visually impaired. In the calendar I shared my love of reading and attending various book discussion groups.
* In August 2014, a blog post I wrote about free money readers went viral with almost 15,300 likes on Facebook. This occurred while I was working as the blogging manager at the Center for the Visually Impaired.
* In 2013, two of my blog posts were selected to be a part of the Non-Profit Blog Carnival, a monthly selection of blog posts on topics related to the non-profit community. This occurred while working at the Center for the Visually Impaired. Each month there was a theme and solicitation for entries.
1. Title: My Big Dream for 2013: Changing Public Perception of What It Means to be Visually Impaired. Date: Wednesday, February 6, 2013.
2. Title: Networking Has Been My Best Piece of Professional Advice. Date: Wednesday, April 24, 2013
* In September 2013, I wrote a personal three-part series on identity theft for VisionAware. When the link was placed on their Facebook page it got over 11,000 likes.
In February 2012, I facilitated a group of blind and visually impaired patrons of the Georgia Library for the Blind and Print Impaired for a special book discussion on “A Lesson Before Dying” by Ernest Gaines. This discussion was a part of the Atlanta-Fulton County Public Library’s Big Read Program.
* In June 2012, I recorded several PSAs about the Center for the Visually Impaired for the Sasha the Diva radio segment of the Tom Joyner Morning Show.
* In October 2012, I completed my capstone presentation and received a Certificate of Completion for the Diversity Leadership Academy from American Institute for Managing Diversity.
* In September 2011, the book “Touch and Go” by Thad Nodine was published. I Provided consulting on the blind character and once published, I also connected the author to resources to promote and market it in the blind community. The book follows a blind man’s quest to lead his foster family—two white ex-addicts, a Black teen, and a Latinx child—on a road trip through the careful and careless ways we treat each other and ourselves. Publishers Weekly called it “one of the year’s finest fiction debuts.”
* IN March 2008, I received The Beverly L. Hall Young Adult Award for my journalistic/writing career from the National Black Herstory Task Force, Inc., a non-profit agency that chronicles the history of black women and how it is research, collected and written.
* In July 2008, I was featured in the Atlanta Journal Constitution newspaper in the article titled “Interfaith conference aims to connect disabled, faith leaders.” Written by Christopher Quinn. In the story I shared about my disability and religious experiences.
* In July 2007, I was featured in Georgia Trend Magazine in the article titled “Breaking Down the Last Barriers: Too often the vision of an inclusive workplace starts and ends with gender and race.” Written by Michele Cohen-Marill. In the story I shared about my work life as a disabled employee and freelance writer.
* In March 2004 my article titled “Digging in the Dark” was published in the “Wilderlust” anthology. It was an article about gardening with a visual impairment. The anthology was sponsored by the Natural History Education Science Technology Project and showcased various blind and visually impaired writers.
Empish J. Thomas 