Lachi is an award-winning singer-songwriter, author, and prominent disability rights activist. As a legally blind artist, she founded RAMPD (Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities) to promote inclusion in the music industry. She is also a Grammy Board Governor and a recognized voice on disability culture, featured in Forbes, Essence, and The New York Times.
In her audiobook memoir titled, I Identify as Blind, Lachi moves beyond the medical and “tragic” tropes often associated with blindness, instead focusing on her identity and empowerment. She also narrates the audiobook, in her own distinct voice, authentic style and aura of authority.
The word “identify” in the title is the crux of the work. Lachi moves us past the clinical definitions of visual impairment and into the social understanding and acceptance of disability. As a Black woman with a disability, Lachi deftly explores how the overlapping identities shape her experiences in the world. She discusses the unique barriers faced when navigating both racial and ableist biases.
Whether or not you identify as blind, or “brazenly” celebrate your disability; it’s interesting to learn how and why Lachi does. Others prefer to identify as ”visually impaired” or “low vision.” It’s important to acknowledge respect for personal identity and autonomy is the standard, and individuals should be asked for their preference rather than told how to identify
Thanks to Michelle Ritholz, our friend and trusted audiobook expert, for recommending Lachi’s memoir, adding it to her impeccable selection of audiobooks that help us learn from authors with vision loss. Read Michelle’s review on Kirkus.
