Who is That Blind Woman

Known by her family and friends as Julie Woods, one day Julie realised that to others she came in contact with she was remembered as something different. “Returning to a shop one week later” told Julie, “the man behind the counter turned to his wife and said ‘this is that blind girl’ I was telling you about!” 

Early in January 2009 Julie travelled to Egypt and Jordan - she was scared stiff! When she returned home she sent an email to the tour company - Innovative Travel LTD. Find out what she wrote as well as how to join her and Ron for their return tour to Egypt and Jordan in 2011.

When Julie went to Louis Braille's 200th birthday bash in Paris in 2009, she came home through Egypt and Jordan. Find out where this trip took her!

At the end of each day when Julie was touring around Egypt and Jordan she collapsed into bed - but not before she wrote her diary. And here it is...

Born in the "Edinburgh of the south," Dunedin, New Zealand, (http://www.dunedinnz.com) Julie gained a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Otago University in 1987.

After returning home from overseas travel in the early 90's, Julie discovered she was pregnant with her first son Zachary. 18 months after the birth of her second son Sebastian, Julie noticed the vinyl in her bathroom floor was shimmering. Already partially sighted she visited Dunedin Hospital where three months later, on March 27, 1997, she was declared legally blind. Faced with learning a whole host of adaptive skills, Julie got on with learning to live life as a blind person. "I felt I had two choices" says Julie, "I could either be pitied or admired and the first simply wasn't an option to me".

“When people think about blindness” says Julie “they are often thinking about the loss and seldom the gains.” “I thought writing a list of all the things I know longer have to worry about because I can’t see would be a great way of focusing on the positive aspects of blindness” she continued.

When Julie heard Bill Bryson was coming to her home town in February 2007 to launch his new book “Thunderbolt kid” Julie was determined to be there.

200 in 2009!

Louis Braille was born on January 4, 1809.

On January 4, 2009, the braille world commemorated the 200th anniversary of Louis Braille’s birth by hosting an international conference in Paris.