Comedian. Former blindness counselor. Both eyes removed.Still the funniest person in the room.

Sam Atwood has lived with low vision his entire life, workedas a Blind and Low Vision Services Counselor, survived multiple eye surgeries, and ultimately made the decision to have both eyes removed. He also happens tobe genuinely funny about all of it.

In this episode of Thriving with Vision Loss, Michelle andSam talk about what humor does for survival, what it was like to support others through vision loss while navigating his own, and what he wants anyone facing a new diagnosis to hear.

In this episode, you will learn:

- How Sam's personal journey with low vision shaped his work as a counselor

- Why humor became one of his most powerful tools for resilience

- What it felt like to lose more vision after working to restore it

- The decision to have both eyes removed and what came after

- Practical advice Sam gave his clients that he also lived himself

- What he wants anyone newly diagnosed to know

Thriving with Vision Loss is an eleVIVO original seriessharing stories, practical tools, and lived wisdom from people building meaningful lives with blindness or low vision. eleVIVO supports individuals and families navigating vision loss, and is designed to scale in partnership with agencies and nonprofit organizations that serve them.

The thumbnail has a bold, high-contrast design with a bright turquoise background framing the image and text.

At the center is a photo of a man standing on a stage doing stand-up comedy. He is holding a microphone and smiling while speaking to an audience. He has a beard, short hair, and is wearing red-tinted glasses, a dark fitted T-shirt, gray pants, and black shoes. Behind him are dark stage curtains lit by warm stage lighting.

Near his feet on the right side is a guide dog lying calmly on the stage floor, wearing a harness. The microphone cable hangs down from the microphone to the floor, emphasizing the live performance setting.

At the bottom of the thumbnail, in large bold black text, are the words:

“Blind. Funny. Still Here”

The overall tone feels confident, humorous, and resilient, suggesting the podcast episode focuses on comedy,

blindness, personal experience, and perseverance.

If you or someone you care about is navigating vision loss,eleVIVO offers a free six-month individual trial. You will find the link below.

https://elevivo.com/#/freetrial

Learn more about eleVIVO:

https://elevivo.com

If this conversation inspires you and you would like toshare your story, email michelleb@elevivo.com

Special thanks to Vann Millhouse and Scott Joffre (The BlindStriker) for technical advice and accessibility insights that helped shape this episode.

The Blind Striker YouTube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@theblindstriker

Ending music: "Circles" by Classless Act

Used with permission.

Deep thanks to our friends in Classless Act for generouslysharing their music and supporting Thriving with Vision Loss and the blindness community. The closing lyrics reflect the heart of this series - choosing your own path, making it happen, and finding your way to happiness.

Learn more about Classless Act:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/classlessact

Live fan performances (shared with permission):

https://www.youtube.com/@classlessactarmy

This conversation reflects personal experience and is notintended as medical or legal advice.

Thumbnail Description:SUPPORT, RESOURCES, AND FREE TRIALACCESSIBILITY NOTEMUSIC CREDIT AND THANK YOU

Special education teacher. Lost his sight. Found blindhockey. Has not stopped since.

Josh Schneider is a defenseman on the United States BlindHockey Team, founder of The Dented Puck Foundation, and host of The Dented Puck Podcast. He knows what it feels like to lose your career, your identity, and your sense of what comes next - and he knows what it feels like when somethingunexpected gives it all back.

In this episode of Thriving with Vision Loss, Michelle andJosh talk about the trauma of sudden vision loss, what it took to start over, and how blind hockey became so much more than a sport.

In this episode, you will learn:

- How vision loss forced Josh out of a career he loved and what that grief felt like

- What blind hockey actually is and how it works on the ice

- Why sound, positioning, and teamwork replace sight in the game

- How adaptive sports support healing in ways that therapy alone cannot

- What community means when you are starting over after vision loss

- Why access is not charity - it is design

Thriving with Vision Loss is an eleVIVO original seriessharing stories, practical tools, and lived wisdom from people building meaningful lives with blindness or low vision. eleVIVO supports individuals and families navigating vision loss, and is designed to scale in partnership withagencies and nonprofit organizations that serve them.

If you or someone you care about is navigating vision loss,eleVIVO offers a free six-month individual trial. You will find the link below.

https://elevivo.com/#/freetrial

Learn more about eleVIVO:

https://elevivo.com

The Dented Puck Foundation on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/@dentedpuckfoundation

The Dented Puck Podcast:

https://www.thedentedpuck.com/podcast

United States Blind Hockey Team:

https://unitedstatesblindhockeyteam.com/

CASA - Community Access Support Alliance:

https://wearecasa.org/

If this conversation inspires you and you would like toshare your story, email michelleb@elevivo.com

Special thanks to Scott Joffre (The Blind Striker) foraccessibility insights that helped shape this episode.

The Blind Striker YouTube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@theblindstriker

Ending music: "Circles" by Classless Act

Used with permission.

Deep thanks to our friends in Classless Act for generouslysharing their music and supporting Thriving with Vision Loss and the blindness community. The closing lyrics reflect the heart of this series - choosing yourown path, making it happen, and finding your way to happiness.

Learn more about Classless Act:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/classlessact

Live fan performances (shared with permission):

https://www.youtube.com/@classlessactarmy

This conversation reflects personal experience and is notintended as medical or legal advice.

SUPPORT, RESOURCES, AND FREE TRIALMORE FROM JOSH SCHNEIDERACCESSIBILITY NOTEMUSIC CREDIT AND THANK YOU

Tech reviews are everywhere. Accessibility only workswhen it is shaped by lived experience.

Scott Joffre is the creator of The Blind Striker, one of themost trusted voices in blind and low-vision assistive technology. Scott grew up with low vision, adapted as his sight changed, and built a channel dedicated to testing technology the way blind and low-vision people actually use it — not the way manufacturers assume they do.

In this episode of Thriving with Vision Loss, Michelle andScott explore what makes assistive technology genuinely useful, what fails in the real world despite looking good on paper, and why blind and low-vision users must be part of designing the tools meant to serve them.

In this episode, you will learn:

- How Scott’s low-vision journey shaped his approach to technology

- What makes assistive technology actually usable in daily life

- How Ray-Ban Meta glasses and Be My Eyes work together

- Why accessibility fails without lived experience behind it

- How technology can support independence when it is designed right

Thriving with Vision Loss is an eleVIVO original seriessharing stories, practical tools, and lived wisdom from people building meaningful lives with blindness or low vision. eleVIVO supports individuals and families navigating vision loss, and is designed to scale in partnership with agencies and nonprofit organizations that serve them.

If you or someone you care about is navigating vision loss,eleVIVO offers a free six-month individual trial. You will find the link below.

https://elevivo.com/#/freetrial

Learn more about eleVIVO:

https://elevivo.com

The Blind Striker on YouTube: / @theblindstriker

If this conversation inspires you and you would like toshare your story, email michelleb@elevivo.com

Scott Joffre works with eleVIVO on every episode and withthe company itself to help ensure our content and platform reflect real accessibility needs — not assumptions.

This conversation reflects personal experience and is notintended as medical or legal advice.