Three years after losing almost all of his useful vision, NN Clear Speakers President Carl Peach has published his second poetry collection, Second Sight.
Carl wrote his first collection while fully sighted. Following a diagnosis of Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON), he lost almost all of his central vision and now has only limited peripheral vision. Despite these life-changing challenges, he was determined that losing his sight would not mean losing his ability to communicate, create or continue developing as a speaker.
Toastmasters has become an important part of that journey.
During the last calendar year, Carl completed Levels 1, 2 and 3 of the Motivational Strategies pathway, earning the Toastmasters Triple Crown. Through preparing and delivering speeches, taking on meeting roles, entering speech contests and receiving regular evaluations, he has continued to develop his confidence and communication skills while adapting to a very different way of working.
That journey has also taken him into leadership. Carl now serves as President of NN Clear Speakers, where he continues to encourage other members to develop their own voices while challenging himself to grow as both a communicator and a leader.
The same determination can be found behind Second Sight.
To continue writing following his sight loss, Carl adapted the way he works, using VoiceOver, dictation and other assistive technology to write, review and refine his poetry for publication. The creative process is now very different from the one he used for his first collection, but technology and adaptation have enabled him to continue expressing himself through words.
Many of the poems in Second Sight explore resilience, communication, identity and discovering different ways of seeing the world. The collection reflects not only Carl’s experiences of sight loss, but also a wider determination to adapt, keep learning and continue growing. His progress through Toastmasters and the publication of Second Sight share much the same message. Communication is about far more than what we can see. Sometimes it is about adapting, finding another way forward and discovering that our voice can become stronger precisely because we have had to learn how to use it differently.
Congratulations to Carl on the publication of Second Sight, his Triple Crown achievement and his continued contribution to Toastmasters from everyone at NN Clear Speakers.
Raj Basra
Vice President Public Relations NN Clear Speakers
