Marilynn Highland, Sharon Brown, and Lori Brill are longtime members and supporters of the Minnesota Christian Fellowship of the Blind, a faith-centered Minnesota community that brings blind, visually impaired, and sighted people together through fellowship, service, and encouragement. Marilynn and Sharon draw on their lived experience with blindness to promote independence, dignity, inclusion, and greater understanding, while Lori has spent many years volunteering alongside the community. Together, they help challenge misconceptions about blindness, strengthen connections across faith communities, and encourage people to see ability before disability. Their shared message centers on faith, friendship, respect, and belonging. In this episode… Living with blindness or vision loss can change how you navigate the world, but it doesn't change your need for faith, friendship, purpose, or independence. So what helps someone move through blindness with hope while still feeling fully seen and included? For Marilynn Highland, Sharon Brown, and Lori Brill, the answer is community built on faith, understanding, and respect. Marilynn explains that blind people often have to show others how capable they are, while Sharon describes the fellowship's deep sense of unity, and Lori shares how years of volunteering have led to meaningful involvement and practical support. Their experiences show that meaningful inclusion is less about doing things for someone and more about treating people as capable individuals, asking what they need, and walking alongside them. In this episode of the Align & Abide podcast, host Dr. Kim Tran is joined by Marilynn Highland, Sharon Brown, and Lori Brill of the Minnesota Christian Fellowship of the Blind to discuss blindness, faith, community, and independence. They explore independence, common misconceptions, and practical support. Marilynn, Sharon, and Lori also talk about how sighted people can offer help respectfully.
