Episode 416 – An Unstoppable Approach to Orientation and Mobility with Mel Stephens
What if blindness wasn’t a limitation but a blessing?
In this conversation, I talk with Mel Stephens from Australia, a third-generation blind woman living with Rod Cone Dystrophy who believes blindness has given her more gifts than loss. We explore accessibility, guide dogs, mainstream education, Braille literacy, technology, YouTube, independence, discrimination, and what it really means to have a different ability. Mel shares how she built a life around horses, travel, cruising, and running a business, while pushing back against outdated views of blindness. You will hear honest insights about mindset, community acceptance, blind skills, and why learning Braille and orientation mobility still matter in a high-tech world. I believe you will find this both practical and deeply encouraging.
Highlights:
00:09 – Hear why blindness is described as a blessing rather than a tragedy.
03:09 – Discover why the real challenge is public perception, not vision loss itself.
11:13 – Learn how mainstream schooling built independence and strong blind skills.
25:17 – Explore the difference between disability and different ability.
50:20 – Understand why relying too much on technology can weaken core mobility skills.
1:01:13 – Get direct advice for anyone losing eyesight or raising a blind child.
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About the Guest:
Mel Stephens is a third-generation blind YouTuber from Australia. With parents who are both blind or vision impaired, she grew up learning to stand on her own two feet. A proud guide dog handler, Mel is now teamed up with her second dog, Penelope. She’s always been an animal lover—mad for cats, dogs, and horses—and has two of her own, Maggie and Abby. To her knowledge, she’s one of the only blind Aussies to rescue and rehabilitate a horse, which she reckons is a pretty fair dinkum achievement.
A country girl through and through, Mel has spent most of her life in towns with fewer than 5,000 people, and there’s no way you’ll catch her living in the big smoke. That said, she does love a yearly trip to Sydney, where she soaks up the atmosphere of the footy and the city buzz—though after a week she’s happy to nick off back to the quiet life.
When she’s not looking after her animals or working as a PA for an orientation and mobility instructor, Mel’s usually off travelling. She’s train-mad—can’t get enough of them—and throws in the odd cruise for good measure. Her adventures are made possible thanks to skills she’s built since she was a kid, including mental mapping, echolocation, and her trusty guide dog partnership.
Mel doesn’t reckon blindness is a disability at all—it’s just another way of seeing the world. With a positive, no-worries attitude, she loves showing others that people who are blind or vision impaired can do pretty much anything if given the chance.
Ways to connect with Mel**:**
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melsblindlife/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Personal-Blog/Mels-Blind-Life-1326898004158153/
Blog: https://melsblindlife.wordpress.com/author/mickmate9/
Guide Dog Penelope Instagram: https://instagram.com/guidedogpenelope?utm_medium=copy_link
Guide Dog Penelope FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/pennyguidedog/
About the Host:
Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.
Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT\&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children’s Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association’s 2012 Hero Dog Awards.
https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/
https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/
accessiBe Links
https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe
https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/
https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/
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Transcription Notes:
