(Scroll down for info on Kristin’s exciting School Programs!)
#1 New Release & Top 5 Best Seller!
This book will transform your idea of what is possible for people who encounter challenges, whether it is chronic stress or a devastating life event, and will catapult your motivation to set extraordinary expectations for your own life.
Reality TV star, YouTube sensation, Teacher of Year.
Have you ever dreamed of having one of these titles next to your name?
Maybe you dream of climbing Mt. Everest or becoming a successful CEO of a national organization. Now, would you consider any of this if you were… blind?
“Thriving Blind” showcases the stories of individuals who have achieved success and fulfillment in their lives despite living with blindness or visual impairment. The key message of the book is to inspire and empower both people with visual impairments and those without to recognize the potential for achievement and happiness in the face of adversity.
Through the stories of these real-life individuals, the book aims to challenge stereotypes and misconceptions about blindness, highlight the importance of resilience, determination, and adaptability, and encourage readers to pursue their goals and dreams, regardless of the obstacles they may face. It emphasizes that with the right mindset, support, and determination, anyone can overcome challenges and lead a thriving and fulfilling life, even in the absence of sight.
Ultimately, “Thriving Blind” is a celebration of human potential and the triumph of the human spirit.
The key message of “What I Can Be Is Up To Me” by Kristin Smedley is to inspire young readers and promote inclusivity, diversity, and the idea that people with visual impairments can achieve their dreams and have fulfilling lives just like anyone else. This book uses rhythmic, action-packed text and engaging illustrations to introduce children to real-life individuals who have overcome challenges related to blindness or low vision to pursue interesting and exciting careers.
Throughout the book, readers are encouraged to imagine themselves in various roles and professions, such as mountain climbing or singing. The book cleverly withholds the information that the individuals featured in the book are blind or have low vision until the end, demonstrating that people with visual impairments are fully capable of pursuing their passions and achieving their goals.
Moreover, the book’s availability in a print + braille version ensures that it can be enjoyed by readers with and without vision, promoting accessibility and inclusion. Overall, the book’s key message is about breaking stereotypes, celebrating diversity, and emphasizing that what one can achieve is not limited by their physical abilities but rather determined by their dreams, determination, and resilience.
Of all the programs that Kristin does, the school visits, whether in person or virtual, are her most favorite! She planned her whole life to be a teacher and impact thousands of children. Kristin was having the time of her life in the classroom when she suddenly had to walk away from her dream to instead teach her two blind sons how to navigate a world they could not see. Michael graduated Penn State University Summa Cum Lude and is working full time for DIsney! Mitchell is a college junior! BOTH are having more success than she ever imagined (she has been to Nashville to attend her oldest son’s album release party and to Colorado to see her younger son compete at the Olympic Training Center!) Kristin enjoys sharing their journey and their many fun stories as well as those featured in her books Thriving Blind and What I Can Be Is Up To Me with students of all ages. DOWNLOAD THE FULL PROGRAM OVERVIEW: Kristin Smedley School Visits
Every school visit, in person or virtual, includes options for the school or individual students to purchase Thriving Blind at a discounted price. At in person events Kristin will include time to sign the books. If virtual events are planned enough in advance, Kristin will sign the books before they are shipped.
This book will transform your idea of what is possible for people who encounter a devastating life event and will catapult your motivation to set extraordinary expectations for your own life.
Reality TV star, YouTube sensation, Teacher of Year.
Have you ever dreamed of having one of these titles next to your name?
Maybe you dream of climbing Mt. Everest or becoming a successful CEO of a national organization. Now, would you consider any of this if you were… blind?
Kristin Smedley’s two sons were diagnosed as blind when they were each just four months old. Having no experience with blindness, Kristin expected a life of challenge for her boys. However, eventually she met a few people that would change her perception of what is possible for those navigating the world without sight. She decided to set extraordinary expectations for her sons, equipping them with tools and resources to navigate their world. Soon, tears became cheers as Kristin celebrated her boys’ successes in school, baseball championships and theater productions. Recently, Kristin delivered her oldest blind son to college a thousand miles away from home. Kristin’s boys, like the people in this book, aren’t just surviving blindness, they’re thriving.
While the stories in Thriving Blind demonstrate how blind people used creativity and determination to live the life of their dreams, the lessons they convey about facing fears and crashing through society’s barriers are transformative for all who experience struggles.
[Tweet ““In #ThrivingBlind, Kristin beautifully presents how her beliefs and fears, her perspective and mindset could become either her boys’ biggest barrier or the boys’ most powerful catalyst.” @erikweihenmayer #blindness “]
BOOK RELEASE UPDATE!
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Kristin Smedley’s mantra is “Life is funny…sort of.” Her fun-loving spirit and energetic personality guided her life in the direction of a career in teaching. Kristin fantasized that she would one day be an inspiring third grade teacher, and after earning her degree, she landed her first job in education.
But fate had other plans, and Kristin found herself shockingly dealt a double dose of darkness. Her firstborn son, Michael, was diagnosed as legally blind when he was just four months old, despite the fact that she was advised the chances of having a blind child were one in one million. In fact, only 300 children in the United States shared Michael’s genetic mutation.
Once known for her smile, Kristin found herself devastated and angry. Yet fate wasn’t finished. Three years later, Kristin received another blow when her second son, Mitchell, was also diagnosed as legally blind at four months of age.
Before the birth of her babies, Kristin had never known a blind person. The boys’ retina specialist informed her family that both children would need white canes to navigate the world, and that neither of them would likely ever attend a normal school, pitch a baseball, drive a car, or be able to secure a great job. With no idea how to navigate their needs, Kristin saw little hope for their future.
Nearly suffocating from her own fears, Kristin knew she needed to overcome the anxiety, worry, and obstacles for the sake of her sons, but she had no idea how to proceed. Yet, knowing that Michael and Mitchell needed their mother to fight for them, Kristin began advocating for the tools her blind children needed.
As Kristin found and equipped her boys with the resources to help them thrive, they not only took on the world, but changed Kristin’s perception of blindness. With the right foundation and a multitude of resources and tools, her children have become popular, accomplished athletes, high-achieving students, talented musicians, and
International Braille competition finalists, as well as typical big brothers to their sighted sister, Karissa, both teasing and supporting her as big brothers do!
In 2011, Kristin launched a mission to fund research and resources for children living with the rare eye disease her sons have. In less than eight years, the Curing Retinal Blindness Foundation has raised over a million dollars and achieved the first legislation in US history to be submitted in Braille—legislation that advocates for better resources for blind and visually impaired Americans.
