I have been legally blind for all of my 36-year birding career, and for the last ten years I have no longer been able to see birds. During that time span, my vision loss shifted from being largely invisible to other birders to being quite obvious as I bird with my guide dog Alvin at my side and no binoculars around my neck.

This shift from invisible to visible disability resulted in more encounters that revealed how challenging it is for many people to move past their stereotypes or assumptions about someone with vision loss. Some birders find it inconceivable that anyone who has never had sight can truly enjoy birding. How can they enjoy the birds if they do not know what they look like, have never experienced colors, or cannot see bird behaviors? Others expressed anxiety at the thought of birding with someone who is blind or has low vision, particularly if they have a guide dog. How do I describe the birds? What should I say? How should I act? How will the dog’s presence affect the birding experience of sighted birders in the group? Still others wonder why people who are blind even travel on a birding trip at all. Why would they incur travel expenses for a trip where they cannot see birds or scenery?