In Episode 7 of #BlindTok, Murray Elbourne and Tammy Jackson are joined by Jessie Evans to walk through what happens when a kid knows something is wrong and the adults around her keep insisting it isn't. Jessie's story stretches across a decade of being told she was dramatic, of glasses that did absolutely nothing, and of a mom who flat-out refused to back down. The episode gets honest about the quiet damage that comes from being labeled a liar by the very people who were supposed to help, and about the slow, stubborn work of learning to trust your own gut again.
The trio also digs into the strange genius of growing up undiagnosed, where memorization becomes an art form and faking it becomes a full-time job. Sports stories arrive with all the grace of a nickname like Swiffer, choir rehearsals turn into an exercise in ditching the sheet music, and the conversation lands somewhere unexpectedly tender as Jessie talks about finding a community she didn't know was out there. Whether you've spent years masking or you're just starting to suspect you have been, this one is going to feel familiar.
Other Resources
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/murrayaelbourn/TikTok:
https://www.tiktok.com/@murrayamerability?_r=1&_t=ZP-97LlF79lgCNLinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/murray-elbourn-69576543?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_appAmerability Website:
https: https://www.amerability.com/Subscribe to our YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@AmerabilityAbout Amerability:
Amerability was born from a simple but powerful idea: that blind and low vision individuals deserve more than support — they deserve the tools, mentorship, and real-world experiences to build lives on their own terms. Founded by CEO Murray Elbourn, a legally blind leader with more than 25 years of executive experience in disability sports and workforce development across two continents, Amerability combines lived experience with professional expertise to create programs that don't just prepare participants for the world — they prove the world is already theirs to conquer. Murray's journey from captaining Australia's national goalball team and leading Disability Sports Australia as CEO to founding Amerability in the United States gave him a firsthand understanding of what blind and low vision individuals truly need to succeed: not sympathy, but strategy, structure, and someone who has walked the path before them. That philosophy is woven into everything Amerability does, from the way programs are designed to the mentors who deliver them, ensuring that every participant is met with high expectations, practical guidance, and the unwavering belief that their goals are within reach.
What is #BlindTok Podcasts?
#BlindTok is the weekly podcast where the vision loss community finally gets to have the conversations that matter without having to explain the basics first. Hosted by Murray Elbourne, CEO of Amerability, and co-host Tammy Jackson, a healthcare professional navigating life with retinitis pigmentosa, this show brings together real stories, real struggles, and real laughs from people across the entire blindness spectrum. Every week tackles topics the community actually cares about, from social isolation and career reinvention to dating disasters, cane anxiety, family dynamics, accessible tech that actually works, and everything in between. Guests from all walks of life share the messy, unscripted truth about adjusting to vision loss, the kind of honesty that never makes it into awareness campaigns but absolutely needs to be heard.
Whether you're newly diagnosed and trying to figure out what comes next, years into your journey and navigating a rough patch, or someone who loves a person with vision loss and wants to truly understand their world, this podcast meets you where you are. Born out of the thriving #BlindTok community on TikTok, where thousands have already found connection through shared experience, this show gives those conversations the space and depth they deserve. Expect candid storytelling, practical insights, community questions, the occasional embarrassing moment that every person with vision loss will immediately relate to, and two hosts who live this life every single day and aren't afraid to talk about all of it. New episodes drop weekly because this community waited long enough for a seat at the table, and now the table is ours.