A Message from Penny Forward Founder and CEO, Chris Peterson

Hello Penny Forward members and allies,

As I’ve become more involved in the blindness field, I’ve started to notice something interesting — or maybe “alarming” is a better word. There seems to be a growing trend in some agencies that serve people with blindness or low vision to remove or, at the very least, strongly deemphasize the word “blind” from their marketing. Why? Well, it’s driven by a mix of factors, including changing demographics and the realities of search engine optimization (SEO). Yes, even in our world, SEO plays a role!

Let’s start with the demographics. The makeup of people who experience blindness or low vision has shifted over time. Years ago, conditions like retinopathy of prematurity were more common, causing blindness in newborns. Thanks to advances in medicine, though, that’s happening a lot less often these days. Additionally, after World War II, the Korean Conflict, and the Vietnam War, there was a large number of blind veterans. We’ve been fortunate that medical advances have reduced the number of blind children, and perhaps an arguably more peaceful world has reduced the number of young blind adults.

Nowadays, the leading causes of blindness or low vision are age-related. Over half of the people who experience blindness or low vision don’t encounter it until their 40s. Here’s the kicker — they often don’t even think of themselves as blind. They describe their situation as simply “having trouble seeing.” And honestly, if I were in their shoes, I might feel the same way.

To complicate things, I’ve heard from some center directors that eye care professionals—your optometrists and ophthalmologists—won’t place literature in their offices if it contains the word “blind.” Worse still, some doctors won’t even use the word “blind” when talking to their patients. Imagine being in that position: seeking answers, only to be given false hope or no real explanation of what’s going on. Instead, patients go on a wild goose chase, visiting specialist after specialist, looking for a solution that, as of right now, doesn’t exist.

It’s no wonder, then, that many people report feeling completely lost when they first begin losing their vision. The ones I meet—often through organizations like the American Council of the Blind or the “National Federation of the Blind—tell me they had no idea where to turn. And those who do eventually find their way to these communities are so thankful for what they learn and the connections they make with others who truly understand what they’re going through.

Reflecting on this makes me think of my own journey with blindness. My experience is different from many others because I’ve been blind all my life. But even though I’ve always known how to do things my own way and have always been a capable person, I spent years hiding my blindness out of shame and embarrassment. I thought it made me less than the people around me.

I remember a specific turning point vividly. It happened during a work trip to Romania. When I met my coworkers there for the first time, they told me they’d heard I was blind but didn’t believe it. They couldn’t wrap their heads around how a blind person could work, let alone be in a leadership role. For years, I had been hiding my blindness so well that you might think their disbelief would feel like an accomplishment. Instead, it made me realize that I’d been suppressing an important part of myself for most of my life, and that was making me miserable.

That’s when I made a promise to myself: I would stop hiding my blindness. I would let people see me for who I am—blindness and all. And six years later, I’m still working on keeping that promise.

Because of my own experience, the Penny Forward board and I have had a lot of discussions about whether we should deemphasize the word “blind” in our communications. It’s been a real struggle, knowing that some people we aim to help don’t identify with that word, even though it’s a central part of who I am and who many of us at Penny Forward are. In the end, we made the decision to stick with the word “blind” as a core part of our identity. It’s a significant part of who I am as the founder, and it’s also important to many of the people we serve, even if it’s not how everyone identifies.

That said, I want to make one thing very clear: No matter how you identify—whether you think of yourself as blind, low vision, or something else entirely—you are welcome here. Whether you use a cane, a guide dog, or no mobility aid at all, Penny Forward is a place for you. Whether you see perfectly, have some trouble seeing, or see nothing at all, you are not broken. Blindness, or any other characteristic for that matter, doesn’t define us. What defines us is our shared goal of improving our personal, professional, and financial lives.

I believe we need to be proud of who we are, and that includes being proud of our blindness if that’s part of our story. Just like the LGBTQ+ community and mental health advocates have worked tirelessly to shatter stigmas, we need to keep working to shatter the stigma surrounding blindness. It’s not a weakness. It’s not something to be hidden or ashamed of.

At Penny Forward, we’re committed to offering financial education and support for everyone, regardless of their visual ability. Whether you need help with budgeting, credit, debt, taxes, Social Security, or employment, we’ve got an online course for you. Our Wednesday Workshops are open to everyone and recorded so you can access them whenever it’s convenient. And if you’re looking for more personalized guidance, we offer one-on-one financial counseling too.

So, yes, Penny Forward is for everyone. But its founders—myself included—are blind, and we’re proud to use that word. We’re not ashamed of it, and we don’t want anyone else to feel ashamed for using it either.

Thanks for being part of this journey with us.

Keep moving forward,

Chris Peterson, AFC®
Founder and CEO, Penny Forward