CAMAS, Wash. — A Camas woman reached a YouTube milestone with memorable videos about negotiating life without sight.
“I received the first ever braille silver play button,” said a very proud Joy Ross.
A silver play button goes to YouTube creators who surpass 100,000 subscribers.
“I want to show the world I’m capable of living an amazing, joyful, independent life,” remarked Joy.
She didn’t set out to become a YouTube sensation.
“I posted a video of me filling up my own soda at Target and it got more than 4 million views,” she remembers, “people commented I couldn’t be blind because the my camera work was so good.”
Ross shoots, edits and posts videos from her phone.
Many videos feature her guide dog helping her to overcome life’s challenges like crossing a busy intersection or finding the elevator at a shopping mall.
“I’ve had people write to me and say your videos make me smile and give me hope. One person even said they had been contemplating suicide. Comments like those literally make my blindness worth it.”