‘The Reality Of…’ is a series with the aim to raise awareness of disabilities, illnesses, impairments, etc. Also, educating others about the barriers that disabled people and carers face. I hope this series helps to break down misconceptions and stigma.
Meet Chad
I’m Chad Allen, a performing magician, and creator of the audio comic book, UNSEEN, and I’m blind.
I was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa at fifteen years old. It causes the retina to deteriorate over time, beginning with night blindness, leading to losing my peripheral vision and eventually having little to no light perception at all.
The first thirteen years of my vision loss were by far the most difficult. I had no positive influences in the world pertaining to blindness to rely on for guidance or understanding. I did not even use the word blind until I was twenty-eight years old. It was rough!
There came a point at which I could not ignore my blindness and found my way into an adult rehabilitation program in Colorado called, the Colorado Center for the Blind. This training gave me the skills and the confidence I needed to be successful.
From there, I could travel with a long white cane. I could read Braille and I could use adaptive technology. Most importantly, I had the philosophy of independence as a blind person behind me. That gave me the boost to know I could basically do anything I wanted to do – I just needed to do it differently.
Magical Memories
I worked at a toy store before, during, and after my training as a blind person. My focus at the time was the magic counter. I performed magic at the Wizards Chest in Denver, Colorado for almost ten years. It was a delightful time in my life.
Art has always been a passion of mine and performing magic gave me great joy. Eventually, I moved to Hollywood, California where the world-famous Magic Castle is located. A magician must perform to be a member and perform I did.
That led to all sorts of opportunities and in 2021, I performed on Penn and Teller’s television show, Fool Us. For two of the greatest magicians to see me do magic was a highlight of my magic life.
During the pandemic, magic gave way to writing and I created a story about a blind assassin from Afghanistan and I called it UNSEEN. It appeared in the Exploratorium Museum on display for an exhibit on identity.
I apparently was the first blind person to write and create an audio comic book about a blind heroine. That was very exciting to be in a museum and now I am trying to bring it to fans in the form of a full-length audio drama or TV show. It would be thrilling to have the chance to hear my story performed by other artists!
So, with that in mind, who is my favorite superhero? Afsana, the blind assassin from Afghanistan residing in the world of UNSEEN, of course.
If you’d like to stay up-to-date with Chad, you can find him on Twitter, Instagram, and his website Chad Allen Magic, and you can find out more about his audio comic book, Unseen, on his website.
