I’m Hannah Fairbairn and I’m here to assist you with personal, home and social concerns related to vision loss.

Please comment on any post, or email me directly: Hannah@VisionLossAndPersonalRecovery.com. Or subscribe to receive occasional email updates:

I was born in the UK with vision impairment, and no support at school. I lost most of my remaining sight at 33. My husband grew up in Boston and we moved there in 1990. I taught at the Carroll Center for the Blind near Boston for 18 years. Our younger daughter inherited my eye condition. So I have experience as someone who lost nearly all her vision as a working adult, as the parent of two daughters, one with good sight and one with vision impairment, and as a teacher and writer about low vision and blindness.

My book, When You Can’t Believe Your Eyes is the first “how-to” book for anyone losing sight and their families. It is full of knowledge from other teachers at the Carroll Center, from professionals at the Mass. Commission for the Blind, from doctors and researchers, as well as over 100 long interviews with clients. My husband, a professional editor read, re-read and edited my book, making it better in all ways. The book has won 2 awards. It is available in four formats.

It follows the phases of adjustment that people with vision loss often go through on the way to personal recovery. It also has a big list of resources, and is divided into parts, chapters and 1-page sections so you can get right to the information you need.

The book refers readers back to this blog for up-dated and continuing information. On this blog the menu at the top has links to all the categories such as Cooking and Eating, and there is a search bar to find particular posts.

This year I have launched a new section “Speak Up Skills”. I discuss how to manage speech after vision loss. We have to speak up, because speech with sight is more than half visual!

Personal recovery after vision loss is a step-by-step process, and how to speak up is a central part. Today you may be asking for help finding a phone number. Next week you are telling a friend about your vision problems. Or you are trying to get your family to put everything back in its place.

Wherever you are with vision loss, you will find something here to make you more confident, more like your old self.

Here’s some more about my background in case you are interested:

I have a little vision especially colors. I use speech programs, and occasionally braille, to read and write.

I taught personal management and interpersonal skills at the Carroll Center. I retired in 2016 to write When You Can’t Believe Your Eyes, and am now teaching again!

I was born with congenital cataracts. Before I became legally blind I was a successful chef. When my retina detached I was preparing a grand dinner to honor the Archbishop of Westminster. After blindness rehab at home I got work as a radio and print journalist and wrote Soups. I married Neil Fairbairn in 1981. After moving to the U.S. I began a new career in vision rehabilitation, coordinating the Cambridge-Somerville Support Group before joining the Carroll Center.

I worked with clients who were heads of their family, clients living independently, and clients struggling to explain how to organize the home to share tasks and move freely.

Last year I began teaching and advising on Speak Up skills. I don’t know yet how to publish all that I have learned from so many wise people living with low vision or blindness. It will certainly become at least one curriculum, but might also be a companion to When You Can’t Believe Your eyes.

Here’s a link to check out the new chapter in my story: Speak Up Skills