Author: Ricky Docto

[av_section min_height=” min_height_px=’500px’ padding=’default’ shadow=’no-border-styling’ bottom_border=’no-border-styling’ bottom_border_diagonal_color=’#333333′ bottom_border_diagonal_direction=” bottom_border_style=” custom_arrow_bg=” id=” color=’main_color’ background=’bg_color’ custom_bg=” background_gradient_color1=” background_gradient_color2=” background_gradient_direction=’vertical’ src=’https://www.travisfreeman.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/banner-bg-1.png’ attachment=’272′ attachment_size=’full’ attach=’scroll’ position=’top left’ repeat=’stretch’ video=” video_ratio=’16:9′ overlay_opacity=’0.5′ overlay_color=” overlay_pattern=” overlay_custom_pattern=” av_element_hidden_in_editor=’0′ av_uid=’av-jhlzsd1g’]

[av_heading heading=’ LIGHTS OUT BLINDFOLDED 5K, VERSAILLES, KY’ 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-jhvv8lqn’ admin_preview_bg=”]
WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT – PLAY HARDER.
[/av_heading]

[av_hr class=’invisible’ height=’30’ shadow=’no-shadow’ position=’center’ custom_border=’av-border-thin’ custom_width=’50px’ custom_border_color=” custom_margin_top=’30px’ custom_margin_bottom=’30px’ icon_select=’yes’ custom_icon_color=” icon=’ue808′ font=’entypo-fontello’ av_uid=’av-jhlenoqy’ admin_preview_bg=”]

[/av_section][av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” av_uid=’av-jhvv9928′ admin_preview_bg=”]

Press Release

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Freeman Foundation Presents

The Lights Out Blind Folded 5K

Corbin, KY, February 23, 2016: The Freeman Foundation presents its next Lights Out Blind Folded 5K in Versailles, KY. The race will be held on April 23 at 9:00 am at the Simmons Elementary School.  To participate in this 5K individuals must have a partner. The first partner will guide the blindfolded partner through the 1.5 mile marker of the course. Partners will then change roles and finish the race.  Pre-registration will last until April 1 at $20.00 per person. Registration will then continue until race day and will be $25.00 per person. You can register online here.   Continue reading “LIGHTS OUT BLINDFOLDED 5K, VERSAILLES, KY”

[av_section min_height=” min_height_px=’500px’ padding=’default’ shadow=’no-border-styling’ bottom_border=’no-border-styling’ bottom_border_diagonal_color=’#333333′ bottom_border_diagonal_direction=” bottom_border_style=” custom_arrow_bg=” id=” color=’main_color’ background=’bg_color’ custom_bg=” background_gradient_color1=” background_gradient_color2=” background_gradient_direction=’vertical’ src=’https://www.travisfreeman.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/banner-bg-1.png’ attachment=’272′ attachment_size=’full’ attach=’scroll’ position=’top left’ repeat=’stretch’ video=” video_ratio=’16:9′ overlay_opacity=’0.5′ overlay_color=” overlay_pattern=” overlay_custom_pattern=” av_element_hidden_in_editor=’0′ av_uid=’av-jhlzsd1g’]

[av_heading heading=’DOWNTON ABBEY, DISABILITY, AND THE LESSON OF A CENTURY’ 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-jhvz38gq’ admin_preview_bg=”]
WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT – PLAY HARDER.
[/av_heading]

[av_hr class=’invisible’ height=’30’ shadow=’no-shadow’ position=’center’ custom_border=’av-border-thin’ custom_width=’50px’ custom_border_color=” custom_margin_top=’30px’ custom_margin_bottom=’30px’ icon_select=’yes’ custom_icon_color=” icon=’ue808′ font=’entypo-fontello’ av_uid=’av-jhlenoqy’ admin_preview_bg=”]

[/av_section][av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” av_uid=’av-jhvz3zbd’ admin_preview_bg=”]
A few weeks ago, my wife Stephanie and I began watching Downton Abbey. For the 1 or 2 of you that do not know, the show takes place in the early Twentieth Century, and follows the goings on at a large estate in the United Kingdom. As we began I really did not know what to expect, but was gripped by the show’s plot from episode one. The first episode, however, did include something that I did not expect, the story of Mr. Bates. Continue reading “DOWNTON ABBEY, DISABILITY, AND THE LESSON OF A CENTURY”

[av_section min_height=” min_height_px=’500px’ padding=’default’ shadow=’no-border-styling’ bottom_border=’no-border-styling’ bottom_border_diagonal_color=’#333333′ bottom_border_diagonal_direction=” bottom_border_style=” custom_arrow_bg=” id=” color=’main_color’ background=’bg_color’ custom_bg=” background_gradient_color1=” background_gradient_color2=” background_gradient_direction=’vertical’ src=’https://www.travisfreeman.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/banner-bg-1.png’ attachment=’272′ attachment_size=’full’ attach=’scroll’ position=’top left’ repeat=’stretch’ video=” video_ratio=’16:9′ overlay_opacity=’0.5′ overlay_color=” overlay_pattern=” overlay_custom_pattern=” av_element_hidden_in_editor=’0′ av_uid=’av-jhlzsd1g’]

[av_heading heading=’LINKS OF INTEREST FOR JANUARY 18, 2016′ 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-jhvz5dtf’ admin_preview_bg=”]
WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT – PLAY HARDER.
[/av_heading]

[av_hr class=’invisible’ height=’30’ shadow=’no-shadow’ position=’center’ custom_border=’av-border-thin’ custom_width=’50px’ custom_border_color=” custom_margin_top=’30px’ custom_margin_bottom=’30px’ icon_select=’yes’ custom_icon_color=” icon=’ue808′ font=’entypo-fontello’ av_uid=’av-jhlenoqy’ admin_preview_bg=”]

[/av_section][av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” av_uid=’av-jhvz5z9f’ admin_preview_bg=”]
I want to begin providing links to stories concerning disability that I find interesting. These stories will mostly focus on inspirational people, advancement in technology, and other things I think you the reader might like. With that said, here are the links of interest for January 18,2016.

•Blind French Hikers Cross Mountains Using Special GPS

In this article we read about a group of blind hikers who used a special technology on their smart phone to cross a mountain alone. New technologies like this one are helping visually impaired people experience life in a new and independent way.

•Special Student Takes CCU Homecoming King Crown

This is a heartwarming story about Chip Mullen. Mullen is a student at Coastal Carolina University who has down syndrome. He has not allowed his disability to hold him back, but lives a very normal college student life.

•Invisible Touch

This is a great story of a woman who is trying to raise awareness of blind children in China.

•NavCog Uses Smart Phones to Help the Blind Navigate Independently

Here is another story about how technology is changing the world for visually impaired people.

Those are the links of interest for January 18, 2016. Let me know if you have any questions or comments.
[/av_textblock]

[av_section min_height=” min_height_px=’500px’ padding=’default’ shadow=’no-border-styling’ bottom_border=’no-border-styling’ bottom_border_diagonal_color=’#333333′ bottom_border_diagonal_direction=” bottom_border_style=” custom_arrow_bg=” id=” color=’main_color’ background=’bg_color’ custom_bg=” background_gradient_color1=” background_gradient_color2=” background_gradient_direction=’vertical’ src=’https://www.travisfreeman.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/banner-bg-1.png’ attachment=’272′ attachment_size=’full’ attach=’scroll’ position=’top left’ repeat=’stretch’ video=” video_ratio=’16:9′ overlay_opacity=’0.5′ overlay_color=” overlay_pattern=” overlay_custom_pattern=” av_element_hidden_in_editor=’0′ av_uid=’av-jhlzsd1g’]

[av_heading heading=’LIGHTS OUT DINNER IN THE DARK’ 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-jhvz70zg’ admin_preview_bg=”]
WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT – PLAY HARDER.
[/av_heading]

[av_hr class=’invisible’ height=’30’ shadow=’no-shadow’ position=’center’ custom_border=’av-border-thin’ custom_width=’50px’ custom_border_color=” custom_margin_top=’30px’ custom_margin_bottom=’30px’ icon_select=’yes’ custom_icon_color=” icon=’ue808′ font=’entypo-fontello’ av_uid=’av-jhlenoqy’ admin_preview_bg=”]

[/av_section][av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” av_uid=’av-jhvz7d4n’ admin_preview_bg=”]

Press Release

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Freeman Foundation Presents

The Lights Out Dinner in the Dark

Corbin KY, January15, 2016:  The Freeman Foundation presents its 1^st Lights Out Dinner in the Dark. The dinner will be held on March 14, 2016 at 6:30 PM, at the Corbin Center in Corbin, KY. Participants will eat dinner blindfolded to raise awareness of the needs and potential of people with disabilities. Former Kentucky basketball player Jarrod Polson will be the guest speaker, and Neil Middleton from WYMT will MC the event. Tickets are $15.00 for adults and $10.00 for children 12 and under. You can register online here, or tickets can be purchased from Mary Freeman at Central Baptist Church in Corbin, KY. Following the dinner Polson will autograph copies of his autobiography, Living Beyond the Dream.  Continue reading “LIGHTS OUT DINNER IN THE DARK”

[av_section min_height=” min_height_px=’500px’ padding=’default’ shadow=’no-border-styling’ bottom_border=’no-border-styling’ bottom_border_diagonal_color=’#333333′ bottom_border_diagonal_direction=” bottom_border_style=” custom_arrow_bg=” id=” color=’main_color’ background=’bg_color’ custom_bg=” background_gradient_color1=” background_gradient_color2=” background_gradient_direction=’vertical’ src=’https://www.travisfreeman.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/banner-bg-1.png’ attachment=’272′ attachment_size=’full’ attach=’scroll’ position=’top left’ repeat=’stretch’ video=” video_ratio=’16:9′ overlay_opacity=’0.5′ overlay_color=” overlay_pattern=” overlay_custom_pattern=” av_element_hidden_in_editor=’0′ av_uid=’av-jhlzsd1g’]

[av_heading heading=’WHY THE FREEMAN FOUNDATION SERVES AS A VOICE FOR THE SIGHTLESS’ 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-jhvz92v5′ admin_preview_bg=”]
WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT – PLAY HARDER.
[/av_heading]

[av_hr class=’invisible’ height=’30’ shadow=’no-shadow’ position=’center’ custom_border=’av-border-thin’ custom_width=’50px’ custom_border_color=” custom_margin_top=’30px’ custom_margin_bottom=’30px’ icon_select=’yes’ custom_icon_color=” icon=’ue808′ font=’entypo-fontello’ av_uid=’av-jhlenoqy’ admin_preview_bg=”]

[/av_section][av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” av_uid=’av-jhvz9lyk’ admin_preview_bg=”]
As I sit here at the beginning of 2016 I am excited about what The Freeman Foundation accomplished in 2015, and about our plans for the next year. In 2015 we hosted our first Lights Out Blindfolded 5K in Corbin, KY, and began an initiative to help feed disabled orphans at an orphanage in Haiti. In the upcoming year we are hosting two more Lights Out Blindfolded 5K’s, as well as, our first Lights Out Dinner in the Dark. With these events, we hope to continue accomplishing our vision to “raise awareness of the needs and potential of people with disabilities.” Two Articles I came across in the past year reinforced in me the need for a foundation like The Freeman Foundation.

First, I read about a blind father in New York who had his children taken from him. Why, you might ask? Because a judge determined that he could not provide for them due to his blindness. The judge thought that he posed a risk to the safety of his own children. If Christopher Roberts wanted to spend time with his children, then he had to pay a sighted nanny to be with him during that time. The judge implied in his decision that Roberts was less than a person because of his blindness, and refused him the right to care for his children. You can read the complete article here.

Second, I read the story of Lily-Grace Hooper, an elementary school student in South Gloucestershire, UK. Lily-Grace was told that she could no longer use her white cane while at school. School officials were afraid that other students and teachers might trip over it. Several students and employees came out on social media in support of the school’s decision. For this reason she has been forced to attend a different school. Read the complete story here.

Both of these stories highlight the short-sidedness and false assumptions held by many people concerning individuals with disabilities. The Freeman Foundation desires to use its events and initiatives to begin breaking through these barriers. We hope that you will join us on this journey. You can do so by participating in our events, or by giving a financial donation. We also ask for your prayers as we continue promoting the truth that “disability does not equal inability.”
[/av_textblock]

[av_section min_height=” min_height_px=’500px’ padding=’default’ shadow=’no-border-styling’ bottom_border=’no-border-styling’ bottom_border_diagonal_color=’#333333′ bottom_border_diagonal_direction=” bottom_border_style=” custom_arrow_bg=” id=” color=’main_color’ background=’bg_color’ custom_bg=” background_gradient_color1=” background_gradient_color2=” background_gradient_direction=’vertical’ src=’https://www.travisfreeman.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/banner-bg-1.png’ attachment=’272′ attachment_size=’full’ attach=’scroll’ position=’top left’ repeat=’stretch’ video=” video_ratio=’16:9′ overlay_opacity=’0.5′ overlay_color=” overlay_pattern=” overlay_custom_pattern=” av_element_hidden_in_editor=’0′ av_uid=’av-jhlzsd1g’]

[av_heading heading=’ADVANCEMENT IN TECHNOLOGY PART 2: WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD’ 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-jhvzb27p’ admin_preview_bg=”]
WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT – PLAY HARDER.
[/av_heading]

[av_hr class=’invisible’ height=’30’ shadow=’no-shadow’ position=’center’ custom_border=’av-border-thin’ custom_width=’50px’ custom_border_color=” custom_margin_top=’30px’ custom_margin_bottom=’30px’ icon_select=’yes’ custom_icon_color=” icon=’ue808′ font=’entypo-fontello’ av_uid=’av-jhlenoqy’ admin_preview_bg=”]

[/av_section][av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” av_uid=’av-jhvzbdjq’ admin_preview_bg=”]
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”

[av_section min_height=” min_height_px=’500px’ padding=’default’ shadow=’no-border-styling’ bottom_border=’no-border-styling’ bottom_border_diagonal_color=’#333333′ bottom_border_diagonal_direction=” bottom_border_style=” custom_arrow_bg=” id=” color=’main_color’ background=’bg_color’ custom_bg=” background_gradient_color1=” background_gradient_color2=” background_gradient_direction=’vertical’ src=’https://www.travisfreeman.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/banner-bg-1.png’ attachment=’272′ attachment_size=’full’ attach=’scroll’ position=’top left’ repeat=’stretch’ video=” video_ratio=’16:9′ overlay_opacity=’0.5′ overlay_color=” overlay_pattern=” overlay_custom_pattern=” av_element_hidden_in_editor=’0′ av_uid=’av-jhlzsd1g’]

[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.
[/av_heading]

[av_hr class=’invisible’ height=’30’ shadow=’no-shadow’ position=’center’ custom_border=’av-border-thin’ custom_width=’50px’ custom_border_color=” custom_margin_top=’30px’ custom_margin_bottom=’30px’ icon_select=’yes’ custom_icon_color=” icon=’ue808′ font=’entypo-fontello’ av_uid=’av-jhlenoqy’ admin_preview_bg=”]

[/av_section][av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” av_uid=’av-jhvzd3l1′ admin_preview_bg=”]
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.
[/av_textblock]

[av_section min_height=” min_height_px=’500px’ padding=’default’ shadow=’no-border-styling’ bottom_border=’no-border-styling’ bottom_border_diagonal_color=’#333333′ bottom_border_diagonal_direction=” bottom_border_style=” custom_arrow_bg=” id=” color=’main_color’ background=’bg_color’ custom_bg=” background_gradient_color1=” background_gradient_color2=” background_gradient_direction=’vertical’ src=’https://www.travisfreeman.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/banner-bg-1.png’ attachment=’272′ attachment_size=’full’ attach=’scroll’ position=’top left’ repeat=’stretch’ video=” video_ratio=’16:9′ overlay_opacity=’0.5′ overlay_color=” overlay_pattern=” overlay_custom_pattern=” av_element_hidden_in_editor=’0′ av_uid=’av-jhlzsd1g’]

[av_heading heading=’LOVE IS BLIND: LIFE AS THE WIFE OF A VISUALLY IMPAIRED PERSON’ 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-jhvzedvv’ admin_preview_bg=”]
WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT – PLAY HARDER.
[/av_heading]

[av_hr class=’invisible’ height=’30’ shadow=’no-shadow’ position=’center’ custom_border=’av-border-thin’ custom_width=’50px’ custom_border_color=” custom_margin_top=’30px’ custom_margin_bottom=’30px’ icon_select=’yes’ custom_icon_color=” icon=’ue808′ font=’entypo-fontello’ av_uid=’av-jhlenoqy’ admin_preview_bg=”]

[/av_section][av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” av_uid=’av-jhvzeng5′ admin_preview_bg=”]
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”

[av_section min_height=” min_height_px=’500px’ padding=’default’ shadow=’no-border-styling’ bottom_border=’no-border-styling’ bottom_border_diagonal_color=’#333333′ bottom_border_diagonal_direction=” bottom_border_style=” custom_arrow_bg=” id=” color=’main_color’ background=’bg_color’ custom_bg=” background_gradient_color1=” background_gradient_color2=” background_gradient_direction=’vertical’ src=’https://www.travisfreeman.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/banner-bg-1.png’ attachment=’272′ attachment_size=’full’ attach=’scroll’ position=’top left’ repeat=’stretch’ video=” video_ratio=’16:9′ overlay_opacity=’0.5′ overlay_color=” overlay_pattern=” overlay_custom_pattern=” av_element_hidden_in_editor=’0′ av_uid=’av-jhlzsd1g’]

[av_heading heading=’THE ADVANCEMENT OF TECHNOLOGY: HOW APPLE HAS CHANGED MY LIFE’ 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-jhvzfvk3′ admin_preview_bg=”]
WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT – PLAY HARDER.
[/av_heading]

[av_hr class=’invisible’ height=’30’ shadow=’no-shadow’ position=’center’ custom_border=’av-border-thin’ custom_width=’50px’ custom_border_color=” custom_margin_top=’30px’ custom_margin_bottom=’30px’ icon_select=’yes’ custom_icon_color=” icon=’ue808′ font=’entypo-fontello’ av_uid=’av-jhlenoqy’ admin_preview_bg=”]

[/av_section][av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” av_uid=’av-jhvzgdar’ admin_preview_bg=”]
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”

[av_section min_height=” min_height_px=’500px’ padding=’default’ shadow=’no-border-styling’ bottom_border=’no-border-styling’ bottom_border_diagonal_color=’#333333′ bottom_border_diagonal_direction=” bottom_border_style=” custom_arrow_bg=” id=” color=’main_color’ background=’bg_color’ custom_bg=” background_gradient_color1=” background_gradient_color2=” background_gradient_direction=’vertical’ src=’https://www.travisfreeman.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/banner-bg-1.png’ attachment=’272′ attachment_size=’full’ attach=’scroll’ position=’top left’ repeat=’stretch’ video=” video_ratio=’16:9′ overlay_opacity=’0.5′ overlay_color=” overlay_pattern=” overlay_custom_pattern=” av_element_hidden_in_editor=’0′ av_uid=’av-jhlzsd1g’]

[av_heading heading=’THE HOPE OF CHRIST: HOW A WOMAN’S DESIRE FOR BLINDNESS ERODES THE GOSPEL’ 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-jhvzhpay’ admin_preview_bg=”]
WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT – PLAY HARDER.
[/av_heading]

[av_hr class=’invisible’ height=’30’ shadow=’no-shadow’ position=’center’ custom_border=’av-border-thin’ custom_width=’50px’ custom_border_color=” custom_margin_top=’30px’ custom_margin_bottom=’30px’ icon_select=’yes’ custom_icon_color=” icon=’ue808′ font=’entypo-fontello’ av_uid=’av-jhlenoqy’ admin_preview_bg=”]

[/av_section][av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” av_uid=’av-jhvzi8g4′ admin_preview_bg=”]
“I Poured Drain Cleaner in My Eyes to Blind myself,” I have never been more shocked at a headline than when I read those 10 words. The tagline of the article only got worse, “I made Myself Blind because I was Meant to be Disabled: Living with BIID.” I struggled to process what I was reading. How could someone ever want to be blind? How could someone think they were meant to be disabled? These questions ran through my mind as I continued through the article. Jewel Shuping, a 30 year old North Carolina woman, had these desires. She wanted to be blind; felt that she was meant to be disabled. Shuping suffers from a rare disease called Body Integrity Identity Disorder, which causes normal, healthy people to desire a disability. In 2006 she found a psychologist willing to assist her in achieving this life-long dream.* Continue reading “THE HOPE OF CHRIST: HOW A WOMAN’S DESIRE FOR BLINDNESS ERODES THE GOSPEL”