Barbara Black was Born and raised in New York, but she ultimately taught in Northampton, Massachusetts. Starting in 1978, she worked in early childhood education until her retirement in 2017. She studied education and sociology at Stony Brook University and later took graduate courses at Bank Street College of Education.
Rachel Tanenhaus is an Americans With Disabilities Coordinator (ADA) for the city of Cambridge, Massachusetts. She earned two Bachelor's degrees from UMass Amherst, one in women's studies and the other in journalism, as well as a Master's in public health from Boston University.
Carey lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and is a Senior Guest Retail Specialist for Target Marketplace. Carey is originally from Reading, Massachusetts and studied English and Journalism at Framingham State University.
Carl Richardson is the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) coordinator for the Massachusetts State House. Between 1986 and 1990, he attended Emerson College. Diagnosed with Ushers Syndrome, Carl is both legally blind and hearing impaired. In addition to a guide dog and cane, he uses adaptive technology such as hearing aids, screen readers, and audio descriptions.
Christine Hà is the first-ever blind contestant of the competitive amateur cooking television show MasterChef with Gordon Ramsay, winning its third season. She earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Houston. Christine travels and shares her story, receiving the 2014 Helen Keller personal achievement award from the American Foundation for the Blind.
Chris Downey is a blind architect, a consultant and an occasional guest lecturer for the UC Berkeley Department of Architecture specializing in accessibility and Universal Design. While working as an architect, he lost his sight as a complication from brain surgery to remove a tumor. Since then, he has added disability related themes to his work by providing accessibility to both sighted and blind individuals using effective color contrast, tactile information and other multi-sensory design strategies.
Jay is the owner and crew chief for Follow A Dream, a non-profit organization which deals in drag racing. He attended Phelps Academy and later the Carroll Center for the Blind. After an explosive tire accident during his time as a mechanic, he lost all vision, smell and taste. When relearning how to live without his sight, Jay discovered that he could still follow his passion of working on racing engines.
Hoby Wedler is a chemist, entrepreneur, and educator who founded Hoby's Essentials, which sells food seasonings curated with his chemical knowledge. He has a double Bachelor's in chemistry and history with a minor in mathematics, a Master's in theoretical organic chemistry, and a PhD in organic chemistry from the University of California Davis. In 2011, he founded a non-profit organization that leads chemistry camps for blind and visually impaired students.
Elizabeth (Liz) Myska is a lawyer who specializes in Elder Law and Estate Planning. She graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a BA in History and Political Science, then completed her JD degree at Suffolk University. For 10 years, she worked as a real estate attorney representing buyers and sellers. At that point, she was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa and began to advocate for the visually impaired community.
Mona Minkara lives in Boston, MA and is an assistant professor of bioengineering at Northeastern University. She has been visually impaired since childhood due to macular degeneration and cone-rod dystrophy. Her natural love of science led her to study chemistry and Middle Eastern studies at Wellesley College, where she received a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates grant. After receiving her PhD in chemistry at the University of Florida, she began postdoctoral work at the University of Minnesota.
