Hi everyone, Hope you are well. Blog updates are few and far between these days as Kai is living his best life as a junior in college! His major is music theory and his minor is jazz drumset. The college is still fulfilling all of his accommodations and he’s really happy at UGA. Kai and his guide dog Pride have hit their stride together as a working team and Kai loves the companionship. He says that other students saw his cane as a barrier to conversation but Pride is a conversation magnet and his social life is going strong. He has recently taken over as leader of a jazz consortium in Athens ..read more

I enjoyed speaking with Kim Wardlow from the podcast Navigating Life with Vision Loss. We discussed parenting a blind child including tips for advocacy in public school and sports inclusion. The podcast episode is called: Walking Your Child Through Change with Kim Owens of Navigating Blindness. Please listen and drop a comment with your thoughts.  Link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/navigating-life-with-vision-loss/id1642748611  Image of Kim Wardlow and the show title: Navigating Life with Vision Loss: Walking Your Child Through Change ..read more

Kai @kai.owens is blind and has never been able to drive, so services like Uber and Lyft have the potential to give him freedom. Their apps are accessible with his iPhone’s accessibility settings and the idea of catching a ride at will gives him a sense of freedom. Unfortunately, these services often marginalize the very communities that could most benefit from their services. (Picture description: Kai stands with his German Shepherd guide dog named Pride)     Recently, a driver told Kai, “I think you should carry a blanket to place on the floor under your dog, so I don’t ha ..read more

Hi everyone, Hope you are well. Blog updates are few and far between these days as Kai is living his best life in college! Kai is enjoying his sophomore year studying music theory and jazz drumset. The college is fulfilling all of his accommodations and it’s so refreshing after years of battling with our local school district. Over the summer, Kai got matched with a guide dog, named Pride. The two of them make a great team! He’s living independently in a rental house just off campus with two roommates. Big brother Cash lived there in college, then purchased it as an investment when he started ..read more

Check out the great article about the skaters experience at this link: https://turmerictea.substack.com/p/blind-and-adaptive-skaters-take-over Image of all the adaptive skaters mentioned in the article. They are standing in front of a wall that is covered in graffiti with the word Modern at the top. Many of the skaters are holding white canes. Kai is in a wheelchair and Shane has arm crutches. Thanks for the great article, Kelly ..read more

Today I mailed off my final project in hopes of earning my national braille transcriber certification from the Library of Congress! It’s a 35 page manuscript and I must pass with an 80+. In November 2018 we went through a formal complaint and mediation process with our school district because Kai was not receiving timely, accurate braille materials for his math and science classes. We “won” at mediation and things got much better, but while fighting for braille I felt so helpless. My son was completely at their mercy. It was then, that I decided I wanted to learn to create braille materials, a ..read more

Hi everyone, I’m excited to introduce you to a new project by author Jon Marin. His new book, “See Us” is being released soon and it addresses a crucial factor in the lives of young people who are blind and visually impaired – finding meaningful work. Currently, in the US, 70% of blind and visually impaired people do not work. This is due to a variety of factors including prejudice, ableism, education, training and more, and Jon addresses several huge obstacles in his work as the Program Director of The Career Discovery Project. We can learn a lot from him and his clients in his new book “See ..read more

We’d like to thank the fabulous team over at Bold Blind Beauty for choosing Kai to be featured in Beyond Sight Magazine’s Men In Motion. Below is a bit about their online magazine and a link to Kai’s feature article and video. From Beyond Sight: In 2021 we will be introducing you to incredible young people like Kai Owens who are doing extraordinary things. These young people are extraordinary because in spite of the barriers they encounter daily they persist. Many have learned from an early age to self-advocate and the strength, resilience, and tenacity they possess will change perceptions. Cl ..read more

Hi everyone, we hope you are well. We’ve been a little quiet over here, dealing with Kai’s new diagnosis, treatment, college applications, music auditions and a family death. (We’re always keepin’ it real over here!) So, you probably wont hear much from us over the holidays as we attempt to regroup and recharge. However, we wanted to take a moment to wish you a healthy, peaceful holiday season and tell you about something that is making us smile right now. Y’all need to check out the Touch Pad Pro! It’s everything we’ve all dreamed of and more! Below are a few highlights and for more informati ..read more

I am speaking at a new event that is attracting hundreds of family, friends, and educators of the blind and visually impaired community, and shining an exciting light on those that are thriving with blindness.  I am one of over 20 speakers (from 6 different countries) for The Succeed Without Sight Summit! Below is a link to get your FREE tickets! I hope you can join us on 11/12-14! – Kim http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=giu6nn5ab&oeidk=a07ehbdisw254344592 Image Description: Vancouver Harbor with boats in the water and mountains in the background. Text has ..read more