Blind Youth on the Fashion Runway
One of the events at this year’s convention was a fashion show held on Saturday afternoon. Twenty contestants ranging in age from seven to twenty came to demonstrate that one can look good without looking. The event was hosted by Kim Cunningham, the second vice president of the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children, and pictures were taken by her husband, who runs their small business, Gulf Images Photography.
Picture one is of Abigail Duffy, who is walking with her cane extended in front of her and wearing a blue, pink, and orange D-squared dress, brown flip-flops, three-quarter sleeve cardigan, necklace, and pink hair clips. She is eight years old; is in the third grade; lives in New Hampshire; and loves reading, riding bikes, and kayaking with her daddy. She wants to be a princess, race car driver, or engineer when she grows up.
The second picture shows Daniel Kay with his cane by his side. He is wearing blue-and-white-striped denim engineer's overalls over a white T-shirt with a matching engineer’s hat. He has on blue Croc shoes and a red bandana around his neck. He is seven years old, is in the second grade, and is attending his first convention. Daniel loves reading, playing the piano, and tae kwon do. As you might expect, he wants to be a train engineer when he grows up.
In the third picture MarChé Daughtry is walking forward with her white cane in hand. She is wearing brown capri pants; a cream, brown, coral, and peach blouse; coordinating necklace and earrings; and brown wedge sandals with cork heels. She is fourteen years old, lives in Virginia, is an avid Braille reader, and plans to major in psychology. This was her sixth NFB convention.
Next is seventeen-year-old Bree Lillyman walking with cane in hand. She is wearing a grey sleeveless shorts romper with teal and yellow flowers, tan platform sandals, and bangle bracelets. She is a freshman at Loyola University in Chicago, where she plans to earn a degree in publishing. Bree is from Illinois and enjoys theater and figure skating.
In the last picture Tatum Lewis poses with arms at her sides and hands bent outward. She is wearing blue jeans tucked into knee-high boots, a white T-shirt with butterflies layered under a pink and black plaid shirt. She is nine years old, is in the third grade, and is from Indiana. This was her first convention. She hopes to be a fashion designer or pop star.