Barbara Pierce was born in Atlanta, Georgia. She moved to the outside of Pittsburgh area as a child. Her least favorite school subject was English, and writing was never her forte. She never imagined that she would make writing her career or that she would enjoy it so much.
As a result of her early dislike of writing, it was difficult for her to decide on a major at Oberlin College. At first, Barbara began working towards psychology, but she later switched to studying biology. Finally, in college, she began to see English as “not just about writing.” Ironically, she dated and eventually married a professor from the English department.
Barbara had substantial usable vision during childhood but lost it with time. Growing up, her family encouraged her to view herself as a regular sighted person. College however made her realize that she was blind and had many challenges.
She was not aware of any National Federation of the Blind programs until her children were born. A county-recruit person helped convince her of the organization’s benefits and to give it a try. By October of 1974, Barbara Pierce had founded a new NFB chapter.
Barbara first heard of the 2007 Youth slam during the planning phase. As the long-time editor of the Braille Monitor, her goal was to report on the program.
In 2009, she was called and given the opportunity to work during youth slam as an instructor.
After graciously accepting this offer, Barbara Pierce began working with students from the News crew. Her main objective is to help them create articles for the Braille monitor, providing editing tips and constructive feedback on their writing in the process.
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