About this episode
Shelley Keeland shares her journey as the first blind steno machine court reporter in Arkansas and advocates for the blind community.
My name is Shelley Keeland, and I would like to share my career story of becoming the first and only blind steno machine court reporter in Arkansas and one of the first in the country in the early 1990s. I am retired now, and my wish is to help raise awareness and hope within our blind community that we should never accept society’s limitations when it comes to our dreams and living a fulfilled and independent life. I also want to reach the sighted listeners and ask them to hear the story of a wonderful juvenile judge who took a chance on hiring a blind person when many in the legal community said it couldn’t be done. Not only could it be done, but I stayed for 34 years. The legal system is constantly changing and remains fascinating, and the court reporters leave a lasting record behind that will remain long after we are gone. Thank you. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/aaron-s-opinion--5920599/support .
People in this episode
Host: Aaron
Guest: Shelley Keeland
Topics covered
- blindness
- court reporting
- career story
- awareness
- legal system
- independence
Keywords
- blind steno machine
- court reporter
- Arkansas
- legal community
- independent life
- awareness
- career story
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Aaron’s Opinion TV
Places: Arkansas
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