"Imagine opening your eyes, underwater, in a swimming pool. That is how I see the world on a daily basis without my vision aids.  I was born legally blind with clogged tear ducts and no peripheral vision. By age two, my parents had been told that I would never be able to play a sport, wear contacts or drive. Before I could read or write, I had undergone 4 corrective eye surgeries. As a little girl with big dreams, it didn't take me long to notice that not only was my sight limited, but the amount of places people like me were represented was limited, too. The princesses I saw in movies didn't wear glasses... they still don't. This widespread lack of representation made an impact on the entire trajectory of my childhood, often leaving me feeling weak, powerless, and alone. I didn't want to be just "the girl with the big glasses" because I knew, even then, that there was way more to me than what met the eye.

I have 5 incredible little brothers. Among my brothers there is a child with an invisible disability, a child with a visual impairment more severe than my own, and a child whose race is different from all of ours. It was my love for them that inspired me to work towards a world where representation matters to everyone just as much as it matters to me. This is why I have made it my life's mission to promote "See It. Be It" with the goal of empowering youth through representation and inclusion."

                        -Sarah Jane Houston, Founder