One of the major breakthroughs for people who are blind the past twenty years has been the  release of Apple’s IPhone 3G, with built in VoiceOver software, which converts graphics and text to speech.

This was the focus of a feature story Fox-5 DC produced last week, stopping by the office for an interview. Having been a former broadcast journalist, I was quite pleased with the  story.

Thanks to Fox-5 and everyone else who helped get the news out on how universal design technology can make a real difference for the blind.

an example of when seeing and believing don’t necessarily stand side-by-side.

The little guy is getting bigger every day. We stopped by the apple orchard on the way back from Gettysburg, and the Dr. took this photo of him. Makes me think of the Day La Sol album: 3 Feet High and Rising.   

Nerdist.com tuned me into the fact that yesterday was Jim Henson’s 75th birthday. They posted a great video of the original pitch for the Muppet Show.

Founded in Athens, Ga., in 1980, the band R.E.M. helped invent the alternative-rock sound that influenced a generation of musicians.

A major concern about being a blind parent has been the ability for my toddler son to completely vanish from my slither of sight in one eye and disappear into the wash of exterior sounds. It’s a frightening feeling to feel like you’re losing your child, only to find out he’s been standing next to your leg the whole time. So, this past Sunday, we made the plunge at the Wheaton Mall in Silver Spring and purchased a fluffy dog back-pack for toddlers that conveniently has a tail which turns into a sort of leash. We tried it out on the way leaving the mall, and I felt like I had replaced Lisa T. Dog, my old Seeing Eye Dog, with a 33lb kid from Greenwich Village.

The realization that my son has become a sort of second-pair-of-eyes is very surreal for me. Tonight I couldn’t find my second shoe and asked him to look for me, and seconds later he came back with it. He must think I’m a complete idiot. We haven’t tried to explain  to him that “daddy” doesn’t see like other people. He’s only 21-months. I’m not sure when we’ll start that conversation; probably when there’s a thousand other things he finds peculiar in his parents.

I keep trying to imagine what image of his father he’ll have as he gets older and realizes that “daddy isn’t like all the other daddies.” Not so much that he’s blind, but that he has no idea how to play Fantasey Football.    

Why don’t they have Fantasy Chess or LaCrosse?

Insert Cheap Trick chorus:  ”Mommy’s Alright. Daddy’s Alright. They just seem a little wierd…”

Ok, so you can tell I’m a newbie as I didn’t realize the Tumblr Bot was asking something that would then be posted. Thought it was more of those general questions that always pop up on websites. That aside, I’m proud to say that my son has been consistent on the potty each night before bed this week. The only drag of being a blind dad is that I learn of his success by my sense of touch. INSERT Orleans’ “Things We Do For love.”