Catching Sight

How a Guide Dog Helped Me See Myself

De: Deni Elliott, Graham Buck

An in-depth account of training and working with a guide dog--and the radically honest story of a visually impaired woman facing her own internalized ableism

For years, renowned ethics scholar Deni Elliott lived with her own moral dilemma: though severely visually impaired since birth, she spent decades attempting to "pass" as sighted, often finding ingenious but problematic workarounds in the process. Everything changed in her 40s when an ophthalmologist diagnosed her as legally blind and she could no longer hide her impairment. To maintain her independence, she would need to use a guide dog and openly present as disabled - a label she had rejected for decades.

As Deni begins work with Graham Buck at Guiding Eyes for the Blind, she takes us into the fascinating world of guide dogs: their elite breeding, their training that starts at birth, their exceptional focus, their ability to act as decisionmakers when need be, and more.

Enter Alberta, a two-year-old yellow Labrador retriever. As Deni and Alberta begin their work together, Deni realizes that having a guide dog—far from being a mark of shame and dependence—in fact means that she is joining a uniquely empowered community of canines, trainers, and owners. What began as a practical solution soon became something far deeper - a powerful relationship that challenged Deni’s internalized ableism and reshaped her understanding of herself and the world.

With warmth, insight, and surprising humor, Catching Sight tells the story of one woman’s journey to embrace her full identity, and the guide dog who helped make it possible.