Month: November 2015

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WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT – PLAY HARDER.
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A couple of weeks ago I discussed how Apple’s advancement in technology had revolutionized my life. You can read that post here. Today I want to highlight a few things coming in the future that have the potential to do even more to advance the independence of visually impaired people. Below are 3 game changing technological advancements. Continue reading “ADVANCEMENT IN TECHNOLOGY PART 2: WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD”

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[av_heading heading=’11 LEADERSHIP LESSONS FROM A BLIND HIKER’S TREK TO MACHU PICCHU’ tag=’h1′ style=’blockquote modern-quote modern-centered’ size=’30’ subheading_active=” subheading_size=’17’ margin=” margin_sync=’true’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” av_uid=’av-jhvzclre’ admin_preview_bg=”]
WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT – PLAY HARDER.
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Dan Berlin and his team had one goal, to make the 26 mile trek to Machu Picchu in a single day. The team faced an up hill battle, both literally and figuratively, because Berlin is blind. He lost his sight in his 30s, but he has not allowed his blindness to hold him back. Last year he became the first blind athlete to complete the Grand Canyon’s rim-to-rim-to-rim run. It took them 13 hours, but Berlin and his team reached their goal of climbing the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.

As a blind hiker and backpacker myself, I could not imagine making a trek like this one. The difficulty of the trail, combined with the frantic pace, made their task extremely dangerous. As I read of Berlin’s journey to Machu Picchu, I was inspired and challenged. Below I have listed 11 leadership lessons I took from his story.

1. Leaders constantly face deadlines.
The article says, “The clock was ticking on Dan Berlin and his team of runners.”

2. Leaders are goal oriented.
If they did not meet their deadline, they would not reach their goal of running to Machu Picchu in a single day.

3. Leaders take risks.
Berlin’s blindness made the steep assents treacherous, a broken ankle just a step away.

4. Leaders adapt to changing circumstances.
The terrain they faced made their normal method of hiking impossible. They had to adapt and develop a new method.

5. Leaders think outside the box.
Their old method wasn’t working, so they had to think outside the box to solve the problem.

6. Leaders depend on teamwork to accomplish their goals.
Berlin would hold on to his guides backpacks. They led him along the trail, and he could hold them up if they slipped.

7. Leaders Learn from History.
Their new method was inspired by the trapezoidal structures built by the Incas.

8. Leaders celebrate the accomplishments of others.
They reached their check point to the cheers of park rangers.

9. Leaders blaze new trails.
Berlin is the first blind athlete to travel the Inca trail in a single day to Machu Picchu.

10. Leaders give back to others.
Berlin said that his favorite part of the trip was visiting visually impaired students at a school.

11. Leaders inspire others.
Berlin wants visually impaired children to believe they can accomplish great things.
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WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT – PLAY HARDER.
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Before Travis, I had never been around anyone who was blind.  When we met on September 27, 2014, the connection between us was instant.  We have all liked someone and said “I like them, but…”  For me, it was never “I like Travis, but he’s blind.”  I immediately knew I liked him, shortly after I knew I loved him, and now I get to be his wife. Continue reading “LOVE IS BLIND: LIFE AS THE WIFE OF A VISUALLY IMPAIRED PERSON”

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WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT – PLAY HARDER.
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The whole concept blew my mind. How could a blind person use a touch screen. It seemed impossible, but I had heard that Apple had made it possible. I never will forget walking into AT&T to purchase my first iPhone. I didn’t know how it would work, or if it would work, but I wanted the challenge of figuring it out. Continue reading “THE ADVANCEMENT OF TECHNOLOGY: HOW APPLE HAS CHANGED MY LIFE”