This dissertation engages the cultural meanings and movements of blindness from a dramaturgically inflected form of critical creative inquiry. It addresses how blindness is lived in the particular contexts of its appearance - in offices of ophthalmology and psychiatry, in classrooms of higher education, in accessibility service offices, on the street and at home. My dissertation reveals the performative enactment of blindness that is lived in the public as well as in the private corners of the self, that orients to blindness as a necessary and creative feature of the sensorium, and that demonstrates how blindness is a form of perception. Influenced by narrative inquiry, this work introduces methodological twists from theatre and drama while drawing from theorists such as Erving Goffman, Rod Michalko, and Tanya Titchkosky. This dissertation takes the form of a play and is written in five acts as a way to explicate the everyday life of blindness, its being and its feel, its ontology. Each act represents a stage, a context, upon which the everyday life of blindness is performed. The narrative follows the life of Erin, a young and recently blind woman. The first three acts dramatize how Erin's blindness is conceived of and understood in medicine, education and the street. The fourth act turns to the self, exploring the philosophical question of blindness as an identity. The first four acts end with a "Theoretical Intermission" where blind studies is exemplified in relation to disability studies and phenomenology, again, with a dramaturgical twist. The fifth and final act is written as a separate, but related, one act play dramatizing the precarious life of blindness. This dissertation contributes to the fields of blind and disability studies, education, cultural studies, interpretive sociology and phenomenology as well as theatre, drama and performance studies by releasing a poetics of the eyes. This dissertation cultivates the possibility of an interpretative relation to both blindness and sight by employing a unique methodology that privileges blind eyes in knowledge production on the stage of everyday life.

Dramatizing Blindness: Disability Studies as Critical Creative Narrative engages with the cultural meanings and movements of blindness. This book addresses how blindness is lived in particular contexts—in offices of ophthalmology and psychiatry, in classrooms of higher education, in accessibility service offices, on the street, and at home. Taking the form of a play written in five acts, the narrative dramatizes how the main character’s blindness is conceived of in the world and in the self. Each act includes an analysis where blind studies is explored in relation to disability studies. This work reveals the performative enactment of blindness that is lived in the public as well as in the private corners of the self, demonstrating how blindness is a form of perception. Devon Healey’s work orients to blindness as a necessary and creative feature of the sensorium and shows how blindness is a form of perception.

A comprehensive guide to causes of blindness, information on diseases and treatments available.

The ability to see deeply affects how human beings perceive and interpret the world around them. For most people, eyesight is part of everyday communication, social activities, educational and professional pursuits, the care of others, and the maintenance of personal health, independence, and mobility. Functioning eyes and vision system can reduce an adult's risk of chronic health conditions, death, falls and injuries, social isolation, depression, and other psychological problems. In children, properly maintained eye and vision health contributes to a child's social development, academic achievement, and better health across the lifespan. The public generally recognizes its reliance on sight and fears its loss, but emphasis on eye and vision health, in general, has not been integrated into daily life to the same extent as other health promotion activities, such as teeth brushing; hand washing; physical and mental exercise; and various injury prevention behaviors. A larger population health approach is needed to engage a wide range of stakeholders in coordinated efforts that can sustain the scope of behavior change. The shaping of socioeconomic environments can eventually lead to new social norms that promote eye and vision health. Making Eye Health a Population Health Imperative: Vision for Tomorrow proposes a new population-centered framework to guide action and coordination among various, and sometimes competing, stakeholders in pursuit of improved eye and vision health and health equity in the United States. Building on the momentum of previous public health efforts, this report also introduces a model for action that highlights different levels of prevention activities across a range of stakeholders and provides specific examples of how population health strategies can be translated into cohesive areas for action at federal, state, and local levels.

The Understanding the Bible Commentary Series helps readers navigate the strange and sometimes intimidating literary terrain of the Bible. These accessible volumes break down the barriers between the ancient and modern worlds so that the power and meaning of the biblical texts become transparent to contemporary readers. The contributors tackle the task of interpretation using the full range of critical methodologies and practices, yet they do so as people of faith who hold the text in the highest regard. Pastors, teachers, and lay people alike will cherish the truth found in this commentary series.