(upbeat music)

- My name is Noah Malone.

I attend Indiana State University

and I'm a student athlete.

I try not to think about
myself being vision impaired

every time I step on the track,

because then sometimes

I can bring stress,

because then a lot more

issues come into mind like,

"Oh, what if I run out of my lane?

What if I do this and that?"

So I try to just have an open mind

and then, just run the race.

So it was the first day of eighth grade,

probably about five
years ago at this point.

And I was just sitting in the classroom

and I just happened to
look up at the whiteboard

and I couldn't really
notice what the teacher

was writing on the board.

So I just texted my mom and

we thought it was just a normal,

"Oh, we're just going to go
and get some eyeglasses."

But it was a lot more than that.

A couple of days later,

we went to kind of like
a local ophthalmologist

and we found out I have a eye condition

called Leber's hereditary
optic neuropathy.

And what that means is it strips away most

of my central vision

and leaves me with my peripheral vision.

It was shocking and kind of scary,

cause I didn't know how
bad it was going to get.

It did get a lot worse

as the year went on.

So I kinda just took it how it was

and just hoped for the best, pretty much,

that's really all I could do.

Honestly, going to the
Indiana School for the Blind,

freshman through junior year,

half and half with him
was in Southeastern,

they really taught me
how to be an advocate,

especially, you know,

transitioning into the adult world

and being independent for yourself.

I really had to learn how to

say what I needed.

(water fountain sounds)

The classroom was probably the
biggest setting where I had

to have adjustments made

in order to be successful.

This campus is pretty accessible

for the low vision, I feel like.

We have a really, really good disability

service office

that has helped me a lot so far.

A lot of adjustments had to be made.

As of now I use every,

I use a laptop and an iPad.

So all my schoolwork and
assignments have to be

either emailed to me,

or I just have to go

get it transferred into
a document on my iPad.

So I can either listen to a long reading

on a textbook

or zoom in on something that

I wouldn't be able to zoom
in on if it was just paper.

So far, I had to get
the physical textbooks,

bring them to the disability office,

five minutes from my dorm.

And then they had to scan the whole thing

and then make probably about,

I mean, it depends how
big the textbook is,

but probably 10 PDFs

and email all those to me.

My transition has been
pretty smooth so far.

I mean, due to COVID we've
been having online classes.

All my classes are pretty much hybrid.

So some are online, some days

and then somewhere in person, other days.

It's definitely different.

I've never really experienced
anything like that,

but it is nice because
the learning environment

is much smaller.

There's only about 10 kids in the class

instead of probably 30.

So I do like it when it comes to that.

- 35, 36, seven, eight, nine, 40, 41.

- Noah initially caught our interest

because of his performances on the track.

But as I started to recruit him,

his personality really fit
with what we're looking for

here on the team.

He's a hard worker, he's a good student,

but just a great kid, great guy.

- So when I'm just running on the track,

I can see the lines vaguely.

Some tracks are easier than others,

but I can see the lines.

Usually I can see the finish line.

Some finish lines are
a little bit different

just based off

kind of like how the track is made.

Back in eighth grade

and a little bit of ninth grade,

if there was like a hurdle or
a set of blocks on the track,

I stepped on him a couple of times,

cause I didn't see them.

And not even stepped on
them, I like ran over them.

And I like had a couple
of fractured ankles.

So those were a couple incidents where

it was kind of scary because I didn't know

if something was in front of me.

I was kinda running anxiously.

- Just the fact that he has

obstacles to overcome,

it doesn't deter him from

striving to reach his
goals and working hard

to achieve them.

- Being a track athlete in high school

was a really good experience.

I got to become state
champion in the 200 last year,

as a junior,

and runner up in the 100 as a junior.

And then freshman year and sophomore year,

I also placed some state five times

throughout the two years.

And then being with the
Paralympics is a very,

very great experience.

We get to travel the world
and advocate for ourselves

and just kind of let people
know what the Paralympic

movement is,

and also compete at the
same time, which is good.

- I'm really looking forward
to working with Noah this year

and through the rest of
his time at Indiana State,

and hopefully beyond.

He is a very talented young man

who I think can do a lot of
great things for our program,

and our university,

but also for Paralympic athletes

everywhere and the sport
of track and field.

(upbeat music)

(wind whirring)

- I am a hurricane Katrina survivor.

So hurricane Katrina hit my hometown

and my college closed.

I mean, everything shut down.

And I had been texting with
my friends who live here

that I had had no power.

My gas in my car was getting low

and I was running out of supplies,

and my best friend said,

"Well, we're going to come get you."

And I was like, "Are you sure?

I mean, it could be dangerous."

They picked me up and
they drove me back here to

Indianapolis and I've
been here ever since.

And so that's how I graduated from IUPUI,

because I had to stop
attending school in Louisiana.

My parents went out on a date one evening

and I was with my grandmother

and she took me into the
other room and laid me

down for bedtime.

And my grandmother had
two big dogs at the time.

And for some reason that evening,

the dogs started to bark very loudly.

And my grandmother thought
that I would start crying.

So she went in the room to check on me

and I was fast asleep

and she kind of suspected
that something might be up,

that I might have a hearing issue.

So my parents took me to an
audiologist in New Orleans

and they did what they
call brainstem test.

And basically that test
looks at the nerve,

the nerve connection to the brain,

to see if the brain is
responding to sound.

My brain wasn't responding
to noise or sound.

So I was diagnosed as profoundly
deaf or severely deaf.

I have been advocating
for myself my entire life.

I've faced,

I face barriers every day.

I advocate for myself if I need

to communicate with
somebody in a specific way.

My parents decided since I, you know,

I wasn't able to speak,

they wanted me to be able to
have good reading and writing

skills in English,

because the world is hearing centered.

And that is how I became
the person I am today,

that I'm able to communicate independently

and maneuver in the world.

If I need communication
access for an event or

any kind of activity,

I need to request an interpreter.

And I need to, you know,

sometimes explain about the
American with Disabilities Act.

And that's what allows me to have access

to programs and services

that are being provided to the public.

The biggest project
that we're working on is

we're planning a digital outreach

for early voting.

So we are trying to spread the word

to the disability community

about their options of voting early.

You can vote in person or by mail early.

- We don't do advocacy because
we make giant paychecks.

Everybody that works at
Indiana Disability Rights is

extremely passionate about the work we do.

So we hire passionate people.

Catherine showed us
from the very beginning,

she was extremely passionate
about voting issues,

voting rights and disability
rights and advocacy in general.

- An individual's vote
is the core of everything

that we have,

our way of life here in America,

especially for the disability community,

because we are reliant
on programs and services

that help us

have more independence,

that we are able to
have employment access,

access to education,

equal access to housing,

to healthcare.

- Having somebody who comes
in with lived experience

is so fundamental to the work we do.

And it's so fundamental
for making us better.

There are things that
Catherine's going to catch

that I'll never catch.

There are things that she's
going to bring to the table that

are solutions that I'm
never going to think of.

And that's just because
we're different people

with different experiences.

- I provide information on
voting training and we do discuss

from registering to vote, to how to vote,

to how to make an informed choice,

how to screen candidates
and screen information.

Your vote is one kind
of form of self-advocacy

where you're able to say,

"I want to have an equal opportunity.

I want to have equal education.

I want to have equal
communication access."

So your vote is a simple way
for you to say who you want,

you know, whoever you choose,

but it's just a simple way for
you to advocate for yourself

and what you want from your leadership.

If people do not vote, services
and programs may be cut.

So there's a risk of, for not voting.

(upbeat music)

- There was a time when
I had to call my mother,

and I told her, I said, "I lost my sight."

And she immediately says to me,

"Well, son, you've lost your sight.

That's God's plan.

I didn't raise you to be a weakling.

So what are you going to do about it?"

My name is Lee Martin.

I'm a member of the National
Federation of the Blind,

and yes, I am blind.

- [Announcer] The National
Federation of the Blind-

NEWSLINE Indiana,

Monthly Report,

with your host, Lee Martin

and cohost Florence Myers McSwine.

- You want to know about Lee Martin?

I have been working with Lee
with the National Federation

of the Blind-NEWSLINE Indiana show

for a little over three years.

Lee is a very innovative man.

- Florence said that about me?

- And he just knows how
to make things work.

- What's really nice
is what we do together.

We want to welcome our guest back to

the National Federation of the
Blind-NEWSLINE Indiana show,

Ms. Rhonda Chapman.

Thank you for coming on again
and sharing your reality

with us, your road to independence.

Independence is what
I've been blessed with.

And I'd like to share that
independence with others.

- I work out at a gym that I
kept seeing this blind fellow

come into with his cane

and he would walk back
into the locker room and

go about his business of
exercise and cleaning up

afterwards and go on home.

And his independence was amazing to me.

And then I saw him back in
front of his locker room

and he was shining his shoes.

And I thought, this is
a guy that I've got to,

I've got to meet.

And so I went up to him and said,

I introduced myself and
said, "You're blind."

He says, "Yes, I am."

Says, "And you're shining your shoes, why,

why are you shining your shoes?"

And he says, he looked up
at me and he said like,

"Well, I want to look good."

That's just Lee Martin.

His shoes have to look good,

even though he can't see them.

- Lee wasn't born blind.

He lost his sight in his mid-forties

due to a condition called phlebitis.

- In June of 1999, I was 46 years old

and I lived a fairly productive life

up until that point.

And while working at DaimlerChrysler,

I lost my sight

and then I lost my job

and it wasn't fair.

So it took DaimlerChrysler to court.

- One of the toughest
things about being blind

is the ability to get employment.

The unemployment rate for people
that are blind is over 75%.

- The legal case against DaimlerChrysler

received national exposure.

It opened my eyes

and I got involved with the
National Federation of the Blind

to help others achieve independence.

And one of the ways that I do that

is through a program,

the NFB-NEWSLINE.

- [Man] Hoosiers can hear
Indiana magazines, circulars,

national magazines and
information from across the globe.

Learn more by calling 855-963-6476,

or visit nfbnewsline-in.org.

- It gives them an opportunity

to have all this information

right there at their fingertips.

- [Computer] What would you like to do?

- Read the New York Times.

- [Computer] Reading the New York Times,

dated September 25th, 2020.

- A person that's

that's informed,

they make informed decisions.

And this service helps allow that.

- There are so many things that
Lee is so passionate about.

- Education of our youth,

as well as education for our adults.

- The right of blind and
visually impaired citizens

to vote is guaranteed by the
United States Constitution.

- And when it comes to voting,

blind people would love
to vote independently

and the technology has
to be developed for that.

Now, as far as the
employment with the blind,

we're not asking for any more or any less,

but just a fair shot.

And that fair shot comes with

creating the opportunities,

the proper training that we need,

the proper technologies that well need

so that we can work independently.

- This is Studio B at WHMB TV 40.

And this is where we
normally would produce

the National Federation of
the Blind-NEWSLINE show.

- We want to welcome you
back with Pastor Melendi.

- [Announcer] And of course,
now, since COVID hit,

now we have to do things
a little differently.

- We want to welcome you
to the National Federation

of the Blind-NEWSLINE Indiana show.

- Does Lee Martin let
any dust settle on him?

No way.

- As busy as Lee is,

he takes time to have fun

and he knows how to dance,

and he knows how to celebrate life

in a wonderful way.

- The bottom line about Lee
Martin is he is a joyful,

encouraging and professional activist.

- There's an old Chinese proverb,

"Be not afraid

of moving slowly,

but be afraid of standing still."

I kind of like that.

(upbeat music)

- I was always the new kid.

I was the new kid everywhere that I went,

moving so much in combination with

having a visual disability
that already requires you

to explain it to people,

because they don't understand what it is.

It was kind of a perfect storm.

My name is Andrew Neylon,

and I am a graduate student at

the University of Texas at Austin.

I have low vision.

I'm legally blind, as well
as completely colorblind.

- Starting with kindergarten,

sometimes there was a lot of
difficulty explaining to a

teacher what it was that Andrew saw,

what vision was in Andrew's world.

Six feet out, everything's
kind of a blurry world for him.

When Andrew was just a baby,
they told us then, you know,

that Andrew wouldn't be able to drive

or any of those things.

And I remember being
absolutely crushed for him

to be able to have the
sense of independence,

but also the ability to get around.

- When Andrew got into high school,

I was his orientation
and mobility instructor,

and that's someone who works
with a student on being

independent and moving
around their community

or their neighborhood.

- So it was a lot of like, at that time,

learning how to route basically,

how to figure out like,

"Okay, I want to go to this
store to get something,"

that maybe it was like a treat for me,

"And then I'm going to work my way back

with the bus system or something."

- Obviously there was instruction,

but there was a lot of walking
in between instruction.

And I got to know his
tastes in music and movies

and just the depth of his intellect.

And I just got to know him really well.

- Andrew's mobility trainer
found this contest that was

being sponsored by the braille org and

one of the film companies.

And they were, I think,

trying to get children to
express what they see, you know,

"This is how I see."

- The first film that I
made, which was called

"The Viewmaster,"

it basically,

it relies on this metaphor
of this idea of like,

when you look through a Viewmaster,

you click and you see different images.

I remembered this experience
of kind of looking through it

and talking with other
kids about what I had seen

and what I saw maybe
differing from what they saw,

but kind of this idea
of going along with it,

because I didn't really
know how to say like,

"Well, I can't see that, you know,

I don't see that the
same way that you do."

While that seemed like the
best way to go through life

when I was in kindergarten or first grade,

as an adult, or like an
emerging adult, you know,

I sort of am aware enough of
my disability at this point to

recognize that you have a
different perspective and,

sort of making the effort
to understand that,

rather than just sort of hiding it away

to be part of the group.

- I think we worked together
editing and we did some kind of

visual effects to emphasize the visual

aspect of the theme.

I was confident that he could win

just because of Andrew's talent.

- Andrew got a call from a
producer to say that he had won

and that they were flying
him out to Los Angeles

to get a check

and his award,

which was pretty cool.

I was really, really proud
of Andrew in that moment.

- The beauty of perception
is that a rainbow,

isn't a rainbow,

it's a gray mass, a symbol
of hope, the work of God,

a color spectrum, or even
just a unicorn bridge,

but most importantly,

it is perceived through
the heart of its beholder.

When I applied to grad school, you know,

I included that piece as sort
of part of my body of work,

because I do think it speaks
to who I am as a person

in a really strong way.

In my day-to-day life right now,

is I'm living with my mom and her husband

in Indianapolis.

I'm in grad school.

I'm studying film.

So I have maybe, I don't know,

20 plus hours of Zoom
every week doing school.

I think one of the big things
that influenced me through

working with Beth that I still use today,

is knowing that there are people around me

that I can ask for help.

I mean, that's really big.

I'm having to talk to a person
who's doing color correction,

who is of course used to
working with somebody who has

opinions about the color

and having to go, like,

"Do you agree that it
might not look right?"

And so kind of moving to the next echelon

of having those conversations
with professionals

and kind of learning, like,

"How do I dialogue with
someone about how to,

how to make a professional product?"

and around that I'm not
100% comfortable in.

And that was really rewarding to me.

And it did feel like kind of
a full circle in some ways

for what I'd experienced before.

Beth said to me, like,

"I have a student right now,
who's interested in filmmaking.

Can I have them contact you?

And I always say yes to those things.

It's always weird to me,

because I feel like I'm still

learning how to express
myself and deal with it,

and things of that nature.

I don't think of myself as like, you know,

this person others would look too,

but again, when there are
so few people that are able

to do it,

it is important to be that person.

And I think just learning
more about the range of human

experience makes you more
empathetic and understanding.

And it's just part of where
I think we're headed as a

culture in terms of
understanding diversity.

(upbeat music)