Mods, please let me know if this is not in line with your plans for this community. I’m flying blind here, lol so funny. Don’t know anything about Lemmy or the Fediverse or what this community is supposed to look like. This is just me, bull in china shop.

I’m a big fan of old-school forums, and every good old-school forum has anIntroductions thread where newbies can pop in and say hi, I exist, and hopefully get some hellos back and feel welcomed and get a sense of what people are like. IAnd I figure, we’re starting out fresh here, very small number of people to begin with so it’s perfect to do now. Hopefully I am not the only one who thinks this and will not just be the solo idiot posting their life story for the entertainment of the public.

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So, I’m Miah. I”m 53, have been functionally blind in one eye since childhood annd lost most of the vision in my good eye about ten months ago from Ischemic optic neuropathy. I’m now legally blind, have some central acuity but horrendous vision all around, including toilet-roll FOV, dead spots everywhere, photosensitivity, and lots of artifacts that get worse when I use my eyes too much.

I use a long cane and screen readers, although I do a lot of screen navigation visually. reading screens is doable but sucks. I also llisten to audiobooks.

I’ve been a veterinary technician for many years, and since going blind am still able to work as a lab technician and “Girl in the Chair” at an animal hospital. I’m also a writer of fantasy and horror fiction. I stopped writing for years but started up again last year when I went blind, mostly because there was fuck-all else I could do. I’ve reclaimed some of my pastimes now but am still writing. Working on something that wants to be a novel but is still in very early stages.

My other main hobby is crochet. I’ve been doing it for 25 years or so, and found it was still possible to do it after I went blind. I crocheted like a fiend for my first few months I want to try knitting soon - I did knit before going blind but it was definitely my B game, so much more challenging than crochet. Other fiber crafts may follow, but it’s going to be a while before I feel confident enough to try needle felting without vision.

I’m nonbinary, have been married for decades and have two kids. One teenager and one all grown up and out on her own. Also, one small dog worth mentioning as he was my lifeline during the onset of blindness.

I found r/blind early in my journey when I could not get around the Web at all, could not do anything or communicate properly, and pretty much just wished it would all end. The sub was an invaluable source of information, inspiration and understanding for me. I have been a daily visitor ever since then. I love the sharing of journeys and meeting cool people who know what I’m going through, and hopefully I’ve helped some other newly blind folks with my own stories. I am livid about the way Reddit mishandled the accessibility concerns with their API circus, and while I will continue to visit the sub as long as it’s accessible to me, I fervently believe that there must be a hub somewhere that is hosted and curated by blind people for blind people, that will not suddenly be rendered inaccessible by the whims of a sighted billionaire. That is what I hope will grow here.

Love, Miah

Passes mic