Story
From a Blind Developer’s Perspective
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In honor of the Hour of Code/Computer Science week (week of December 3rd), let’s take a closer look at a successful coder who is blind. Florian Beijers is a Dutch web developer who, together with his guide dog Quay, attempts to make the most out of life. When he’s not programming for a living or figuring out new web frameworks or playing with new tech, he’s pushing the limits of accessible music, running around the woods with his dog or trying to learn a new spoken language.
Like many blind coders, Florian was asked these same three questions again and again:
- How can you even read what I’m typing?
- Wow. How are you even able to code?
- Or, the crowd favorite – Do you dream?
With several more years of coding experience under his belt, Florian shares his experiences including interviewing for jobs, accessibility of software, and what life is like as a blind developer. Read his article, Stories from the Trenches: What I’ve learned from working as a blind developer for a sighted dev team,
When faced with new software tools, Florian suggests to blind coders that “It is paramount that you know every little (keyboard) shortcut and tricks of the trade in your tools of choice to shave off time wasted on actions you repeat all the time.”
By Diane Brauner
