We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kim Owens. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kim below.

Alright, Kim thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about serving the underserved.

Our mission is to provide connection, support, and resources to parents of children who are blind or visually impaired. The mission is personal because eleven years ago, my youngest son, Kai (10), lost his eyesight to a genetic cone-rod dystrophy involving four mutations to the ABCA4 gene and Autoimmune Retinopathy. Now he’s a senior in college (#GoDawgs) who lives independently with two roommates and his guide dog, Pride.

Back then, we didn’t know anyone who was blind. We lived in a rural area without local resources or support. It was a lonely, confusing, and stressful time, and it took us years to build a network. Now that Kai is an adult, we work together to serve other families navigating blindness.

Kim, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

We freely share our family’s experience navigating blindness on our blog (www.NavigatingBlindness.com) and our corresponding Facebook and Instagram accounts (@NavigatingBlindness). I manage our blog, social media, and store, but every venture is a collaboration with Kai (21). He contributes regularly and gives consent before anything personal is shared. The intent of our online presence is to connect with other individuals and parents of kids who are experiencing progressive sight loss. We share wins, losses, good days, bad days, resources, and experiences because we believe we are stronger when Navigating Blindness, together.

We speak publicly about sight loss and parenting a blind child with a focus on acceptance, community, and education. Articles, podcasts, TV segments, and webcasts about us and our journey can be found on our website’s ‘Media’ page (www.NavigatingBlindness.com/features/ .)

We also have a store called EyeSwear Apparel (www.EyeSwearApparel.com). The products raise awareness about blindness with a twist of sarcasm. One slogan reads, ‘Blindness is a spectrum’ then in visual braille reads ‘but ignorance is opaque.’ Kai writes the slogans, and the profits help cover his college expenses.
The win we are currently celebrating is that I finished writing a memoir about raising a blind child in rural America. My literary agent Olga Filina of Five Otter Literary is seeking a publishing partner who understands the importance of an accessible book launch.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Our niche is very specific. We create free content to support parents of blind children. We have built an excellent reputation within our community by sharing openly, being vulnerable, and supporting others. Our income stream is from selling products, sponsored content, and collaborations, and delivering keynote speeches.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Networking online and at disability and parenting events has been the most effective strategy for reaching our client base. We believe we are stronger together so we regularly feature individuals who are blind and resources that support blind children. Having a strong network helps us to help others — which is our whole mission.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.NavigatingBlindness.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/navigatingblindness
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/navigatingblindness
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-owens-navigating-blindness

Image Credits

Danelle Lejeune
Elaina Satterfield