Another interesting Quick Q&A awaits. Don’t miss a post–subscribe on the right sidebar. Today you’ll meet Stephanae, the writer of the blog Bold Blind Beauty. Enjoy.
Q: Name/Region.
A: Stephanae (Steph) McCoy
Q: Describe your visual impairment in one sentence.
A: Macular holes in both eyes which destroyed my central vision led to subsequent retinal issues resulting in legal blindness.
Q: How do you want others to refer to your vision loss?
A: I’m less concerned with how others refer to my vision loss as opposed to what vision loss is and how it looks. The perception that there are two standards to vision loss i.e. sight requiring eyeglasses or contacts or totally blind is bothersome to me. For the vast majority of us who have low vision, many people would not be able to detect that we have a vision impairment which evokes the question as to why we would need to use a white cane, guide dog or other adaptive devices. I understand how how confusing it might be to onlookers but to say to someone who has low vision that “you don’t look blind” is hurtful considering all that we go through to function independently on a day-to-day basis.
Q: Why did you start blogging?
A: There was a lack of information on the internet for blind and vision impaired women on the topics of makeup and fashion. Many blind and vision impaired women that I’ve talked with share the same concerns as their sighted counterparts regarding their appearance and they want to know about fashion and beauty trends.
Q: How do you write your posts?
A: I find inspiration everywhere, in the news, surfing the internet, conversations with friends, meetings, events, shopping, or even out of personal experience. Being receptive to all sources allows me to write on a variety of topics. Once I come up with an idea I write up a draft, edit and read it until I’m satisfied with the final result.
Q: What do you enjoy reading?
A: My favorite books at the moment are lighthearted mystery or suspense novels however lately I’ve had to add more business/entrepreneur-type books to my collection. Janet Evanovich, David Rosenfelt, Sue Grafton, Kyra Davis, Gemma Halliday among others are just a few of my favorite authors. I love Audible.com but since I’ve had to reduce my monthly membership to an annual one, due to not having enough time to dedicate to these types of reads, I’m using my Kindle app to read books like: The Art of the Start 2.0 by Guy Kawaski, Absolute Value by Itamar Simonson & Emanuel Rosen and How to Win Friends & Influence People.
Q: What advice would you give to someone experiencing vision loss?
A: My first suggestion would be for them to do tons of research to gain a thorough understanding of their condition. Being armed with information helps a person to have a two way dialog with their doctor. The second piece of advice would be to get a second opinion, while it may not change the diagnosis it can help in making an education selection on available treatments. My third suggestion would be to get involved with blindness related organizations. This serves three purposes: 1) it’s an encouragement to know that you can go one living a very productive life when you are exposed to other people who’ve either lost vision or were born blind. 2) the word “blind” gradually begins to ease up on the power of fear it produces as you gain knowledge on how to navigate the world of vision loss to take advantage of advances in technology and accessibility. 3) it’s comforting to know that others are there to walk with you through the process.
Q: Recommend a resource for people directly or indirectly experiencing vision loss.
A: VisionAware.org, this site is very comprehensive and the articles written by Peer Advisors are extremely helpful because these are real people who’ve experienced blindness and/or vision loss.
Q: What’s your favorite dessert?
A: Chocolate on chocolate cake um, um.
Q: What can you not get enough of lately?
A: Haha lately it’s been anything related to getting my business off the ground by reading articles, or researching technologies that will make my life a little easier.
Q: How can people connect with you besides your blog?
E-mail: boldblindbeauty AT gmail.com
Facebook: facebook.com/stephanaevmccoy
Twitter: @StephanaeVMcCoy
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stephanaevmccoy
Adventures in Low Vision 
Awesome interview, Steph! I am new to your blog, so excited to check it out because I share your love of fashion! I actually was just working on a fashion post for Nov b/c my sister introduced me to gal she met through guide dogs who is a fashionista. What is your business that you’re trying to start? I owned/operated a clothing boutique for 4 years, so I’d love to “talk shop” with you. You can email me jenlandgraf@msn.com Meanwhile, I will check out your blog!
Thank you Jenelle! I will check out your blog as well. I will be emailing you as well. ~Steph
Susan thank you so much for the interview, I had great fun answering your questions. ~Steph