Organizations for Blind Writers
In addition to resources for blind artists, there are two great organizations devoted to blind writers:
FIA
is an organization affiliated with the American Council for the Blind that
supports and promotes blind and visually impaired artists, including writers.
The organization offers an annual scholarship to a promising artist in college
or art school. During the ACB annual convention, FIA displays writers' and
other artists' works publicly. An area for selling books and other works is
also set up. Workshops are available for writers who want to develop and refine
their skills. Finally, members in FIA support each other and the arts, creating
a space where blind and visually impaired writers can exchange ideas and grow
as literary artists.
Annual dues for students = $10, for
everyone else = $15
This
group, founded in 1982, addresses the interests and needs of writers who are
blind. This group promotes blind writers and their works, and serves as a
support group for writers to exchange information and ideas. Every month, they
get together on a nationwide phone call to discuss ideas, writing styles, and
share stories. They also have guest speakers at these meetings. August 2012's
guest speaker is a science fiction writer, David Wolverton Farland. The group
also has an email listserv called Stylist. The Writers' Division also publishes
a quarterly magazine called Slate and
Style that contains articles of general interest to writers as well as more
specifically blindness-related articles. Finally, there is an "education
station" on the website that includes educational articles on different
styles or types of writing, such as technical writing and writing press
releases.
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