Interview with Stephanae McCoy (Guest Blog Post #8)

Hi Everyone, this month I got the pleasure of interviewing Stephanae McCoy. She has her own faux fashion magazine cover, called Blind Beauty. This is a high level snapshot and it’s aim is to highlight the beauty of women who are blind and visually impaired. The goal of this faux fashion magazine cover is help break down barriers and to educate others about the misconceptions about blindness. In addition to this, she has her magazine called Captivating.  She is also on social media. Please be sure to check out her links. Many thanks to Stephanae for featuring me on her faux fashion magazine cover.

1. What is your name? Stephanae McCoy
2. Age? 58
3. Who has inspired you the most in life and your blogging? My grandmother, it was because of her and the way she lived her life, that I learned and deeply appreciate the true meaning of beauty.
4. Besides writing, what do you like to do in your spare time? Reading, playing with my grandson, catching up on several Netflix TV series
5. Name a bad habit that you have? Binge-watching Netflix and an addiction to popcorn.
6. Name your best quality? My work ethic.
7. If you could interview anyone living or dead who would it be and why? I’d love to interview Sandra Bullock for no particular reason other than she seems like a down to earth person who’s relatable.
8. What is your college major/Minor? N/A
9. What school (college or university) did you go to? I studied Business Administration at Wheeler School for Business and Duff’s Institute.
10. What is the title of your blog? Bold Blind Beauty
11. When and why did you start your blog? I began blogging at the end of 2014. I created Bold Blind Beauty with the idea of changing people’s perceptions about people who live with disabilities, specifically blindness/sight loss. My belief was and still is, if I could find a way to connect sighted and non-sighted people this would help break down some of the societal barriers by revealing our commonalities.
12. Where do you see yourself in five years? I no longer think in terms of where I’ll be at any given stage because for me it’s more important to remain mindful of where I am. I’m pretty content and have been for the last 10 plus years. I’ll continue doing my advocacy work but beyond that I have no idea where I’ll be in five years.
13. What is the name/cause of your visual impairment (or other disability that you may have)? Macular holes that came about from high myopia was the initial cause of my sight loss. I also developed glaucoma, cataracts, torn retinas, and uveitis. Only the cataracts were a direct result of my macular holes as I had to have several vitrecomtomies in an attempt to repair the holes and restore my sight. Unfortunately, in spite of my retina specialist’s best efforts, I was declared legally blind back in 2009.
14. How does your visual impairment (or other disability that you may have) effect you on a daily basis? For the most part I have adapted well to my sight loss as I use a white cane to navigate the world around me and thanks to the advances in technology I’m able to work on my computer, use an Android phone and read audio books. I still have days where I run into a snag or two but for the most part since my sight loss has become my normal it’s no longer a major issue for me. My biggest concern around my blindness are the misconceptions I encounter on a daily basis.
15. What do other people feel about your visual impairment (or other disability that you may have)? What other people feel about my blindness isn’t a real concern of mine other than to help those who are willing to listen understand that sight loss does not equal less abled. There are always going to be people who are skeptical about people who are on the spectrum of blindness, and they won’t be convinced otherwise. Honestly, I don’t have the time nor desire to try to alter the mindsets of people who are unable to express empathy for others.
16. If you had to give one piece of advice to others about having a visual impairment (or other disability that you may have) what would it be? My advice to anyone with a visual impairment or other disability would be to not give up, keep on living life and not let anyone else define them or their idea of success. Knowing yourself and remaining true to who you are is important and this can be done by periodic self-assessments.

Where can other people find you on Social media (Please list and provide links)

Bold Blind Beauty: www.boldblindbeauty.com

LinkedIn: @StephanaeMcCoy

Facebook: @BoldBlindBeauty

Instagram: @BoldBlindBeauty

Twitter: @BoldBlindBeauty

If you would like to be a guest on my blog please feel free to email me at: amanda@amandagene.com