There are close to 400 000 South Africans living without sight, and approximately another million who live with visual impairment of some kind.
Blind motivational speaker and author Lois Strachan has found extraordinary ways of seeing without the use of her eyes.
She wrote a book titled' A Different Way of Seeing: A Blind Woman's Journey of Living an "Ordinary" life in an Extraordinary Way.'
[HEALTH & WELLNESS] Blind motivational speaker & author @LoisStrachanZA chats with @pjchudson on accessibility & her life #WorldSightDay2017 pic.twitter.com/hEy9h6pEHn
— CapeTalk on 567AM (@CapeTalk) October 12, 2017
Strachan lost her sight at age 21 as a result of Type 1 diabetes, but did not let that stop her from living her life fully.
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She lost her eyesight after her sixth laser surgery operation, but decided that she would not be a victim of her disability soon thereafter.
One of the first things she did when she got back on her feet was to join a rock band.
Strachan explains that she initially felt anger and frustration, before taking control of her life.
She later moved into her own home, found a job, had her first guide dog and then self-published her own children’s book series.
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I had a choice to either go home, give up and remain an angry, dependent victim or to take back the control of my life and see what was still possible for me.
— Lois Strachan, author and blind motivational speaker
I had this opportunity to join a band. It was amazing! Playing music gave me time out from all the chaos to come to terms with everything.
— Lois Strachan, author and blind motivational speaker
I hope I never stop learning and growing. There's so much more that is possible now, particularly with the advances in technology.
— Lois Strachan, author and blind motivational speaker
Using technology has enabled me to do so much more and basically to live an ordinary life.
— Lois Strachan, author and blind motivational speaker
I struggle to find something that I can't do because of my blindness.
— Lois Strachan, author and blind motivational speaker
She says that she is very proud of her accomplishments so far and hopes to conquer more in the future.
The blind motivational speaker opened up about her life, blind accessibility, the power of tech and writing her book.
Take a listen to her inspiring story:
