Looking for “how to” videos that teach you how to adapt to vision loss? Check out the “Breaking Blind” YouTube channel to follow creator Maureen Neitfeld as she demonstrates everything from making fudge to working out.
Maureen Neitfeld lost her sight at 17 from a disorder called Von Hippel-Lindau Syndrome that causes tumors to grow in her organs and eyes. She has had multiple surgeries, including eye surgery at age 7, removal of a brain tumor at 10, and removal of a kidney tumor when she was 16. After her kidney surgery, she experienced hemorrhaging and lost her vision. Not one to let obstacles get in her way, Neitfeld learned new ways to work out, travel, use the computer, and accomplish many other tasks, and four years ago she started creating YouTube videos about the skills she was learning and the activities she enjoyed.
“I’m a totally blind woman living life to the fullest, not letting anything get n the way of what I want to do and where I want to go,” she says in the “Breaking Blind” channel description. Neitfeld has posted more than 190 videos on her YouTube Channel showing viewers how she maneuvers through her daily tasks and workouts.
“Breaking Blind” covers activities such as kettle bell, yoga, and zumba workouts, various ways to cook meals, shopping for groceries, taking Uber, and using Google Glass and AIRA Technology to explore places and objects. It also features her reviews of assistive technologies such as apps for smart phones and products like Apple Watch.
For more information or to subscribe, visit Neitfield’s channel on YouTube.