[NFBAZ-EastValleyChapter] Authentic Video Meet The Blind Month Project DUE September 28th

[Megan Homrighausen]

Dear East Valley,

At our chapter meeting this last Saturday, we decided that we would like to make authentic videos of our individual stories for Meet The Blind Month. These individual videos will be put into one video. We will be sharing this video with social media, as well as other chapters and divisions who would like to use this media for their NFB outreach projects.

Recording your video could be as simple as using your phone to video yourself talking. You might also think about recording your video in Zoom.

If you are interested in helping with this project, please create your video or voice recording and send it to: megsvending at gmail.com.

We will need these videos fairly soon. We would like the majority of these videos in by Monday September 28th. This gives us The weekend to get these completed.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me or reply here.

A good suggestion would be to write out your story. The maximum amount of time for your video should be one minute. Organizing your thoughts will be able to help when reading your story to the camera.

Please read below the example of my authentic story. 

My Authentic Story

By Megan Homrighausen
NFBAZ Board Member
East Valley Chapter President

I believe it was the day I was born that I was diagnosed with a rare disease of the eyes called micropthalmia. I was diagnosed as legally blind very early. I remember when I got my first pair of glasses when I was 3 years old.

I went to a preschool for blind kids. The school had a lot of support for young moms and new parents of blind children. I made some great friends there. I still am in contact with most of them.

After preschool was done, I proceeded to go to school. I had TVI teachers throughout my school career. They taught me braille and they were able to help me Live my life as a blind person. At the time, I didn’t realize what was happening. I could see. I lived a lot of my childhood trying to be normal, or what I thought to be normal. 

As I got older, I continued to try to do things without help. I did not want to be different. 

Well, fast forward, and now I’m 29 years old. I had just been through a life-changing experience and I wasn’t quite sure where to go from there.

Who would’ve thought that my little decision to take a weekend to go to the national Federation of the blind of Arizona State convention would change my life forever. Something changed me that weekend. I had a determination that I didn’t even know existed in me. I was forced very gently to try something new. My first task was to find my way around the hotel. Then, I have the task of finding friends who wanted to see me in different areas of the hotel. I had to find them. Funny thing was, at this convention, I did not have a cane. I was the only one. I wasn’t embarrassed, I wanted a cane.

After I got my first cane, my traveling life became so much easier. When I started to feel comfortable with my cane, nothing was going to stop me.

I continued to meet the membership of the national Federation of the blind of Arizona. They excepted me with open arms. As a kid, I thought it would be really cool to be the most popular girl in school. That never happened. It never happened because I was just as uncomfortable about my blindness as i thought everyone else was around me.

I am a business entrepreneur. I’ve done a lot of things to try to make money. My first job was selling Mary Kay. When I was 16 years old, I got a summer job as a phone psychic. I really wanted to find my niche.

At the convention I met the blind merchants who quickly got me going on getting a job.

During all this, I was learning about myself. Once you figure out that you’re something that you didn’t think you were, or never wanted to be, it takes some time to get over it. I had fought for so long. There’s only so much that magnified glasses can do that’s a permanent solution without making you tired.

So, Now, fast forward eight years later. I run a vending route! I run a proudly serving Starbucks. I’ve traveled on planes and buses. I’ve been to conferences. I’ve met legislators and senators. I’ve sat in the gallery of the Phoenix capital. I’ve waited for senators in their lounges to talk about blindness issues. Can we talk?  I have been to the United States Capitol. Things that I thought I would never do, let alone do independently. 

So, this is my authentic story, unedited. Please excuse my unedited notes. This is what we are looking for though. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact an East Valley chapter member. Thank you and have a wonderful day. I look forward to seeing your stories.


Sincerely,
Megan Homrighausen
480-510-6196