Don't Ask the Blind Guy for Directions: A 30,000-Mile Journey for Love, Confidence and a Sense of Belonging

by John Samuel

After a diagnosis of a degenerative eye disease, John Samuel’s life—and his chance at success—started to vanish.
In a world systemically unequipped for accessibility, disability inclusion is often left out of conversations about diversity. For people with disabilities, it can feel impossible to adapt and thrive when you’re already set up for failure.
A more accessible world is possible—when we see the amazing opportunities in our differences.

From traveling the world and hiking mountains to finding love and raising a family, Don't Ask the Blind Guy for Directions shares Ablr CEO and cofounder John Samuel’s inspirational journey against his inevitable blindness as he searched for acceptance. A powerful story for both professionals with disabilities and individuals working to create an inclusive culture at any organization, this memoir will empower you to accept yourself and others, break down barriers, and rebuild a world where everyone belongs.
You’ll discover Embracing disabilities can lead to the greatest triumphs. Get Don't Ask the Blind Guy for Directions and start seeing acceptance as a powerful resource for change.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Disability

168 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2022

About the author

John Samuel is the CEO and cofounder of Ablr, a disability inclusion and accessibility business working to remove barriers that hinder people with disabilities from all aspects of life. In college, he was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic and degenerative eye disease that caused him to lose his eyesight. After struggling to belong and succeed in the sighted world, John now empowers both individuals and organizations to overcome accessibility challenges and build more inclusive environments.

Over the past 15 years, John has held leadership roles domestically and internationally. While launching and serving as the CEO for Aster Cameroon, a global telecom infrastructure joint venture, he built a $45 million business that brought internet access across Africa. Afterward, he became an early member of Homestrings, a USAID–backed crowdfunding platform, where he helped raise capital for start-ups in emerging markets.

One of Triangle Business Journal’s Leaders in Diversity, and a 40 under 40 award recipient, John was also selected to the Business Journal’s Influencers: Rising Stars, a national list of 100 young, influential business leaders. He serves on the board of directors of Aravind Eye Foundation, the world’s largest eye-care provider, and the United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County. He has been featured in Forbes, WRAL Techwire, SalesTech Star, and podcasts such as Hustle + Gather, Diversity Beyond the Checkbox, and Guys Who Do Stuff.

John holds an MBA from George Washington University and a BS in accounting from North Carolina State University. He resides in Cary, North Carolina, with his wife, Nicole, and two sons, Eli and Ethan. Learn more at www.johngsamuel.com.

Reviews

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I only have five stars to give the book, but if I had them to give, it would earn ten stars. The author's description of his struggles to accept his disability and his ability to discover necessary accommodations comes from his heart and makes it easy to relate to him and to others with disabilities. Reading this book helped fill in some of the blanks in my understanding of a valuable and underrated section of our economy.

My thanks to the author, John Samuel, for my electronic copy of this book. #Goodreads Giveaway

[Christina Keddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I went to high school with John. We ran in different circles, but I knew him as one of the popular kids, the ones I envied for being so effortlessly cool. I had no idea he struggled with vision impairment even then — he did indeed hide that well from the world.

I was so inspired reading his story. He takes you on his journey from trying to deny/hide his visual impairment (and the despair of trying to move forward in a world not designed for people with disabilities), to the discovery of how navigating through difficulties had uniquely equipped him for success. I loved the moments where he leaned into asking for help and advocating for himself, and the thoughtful ways he wove in general thoughts and statistics on the need for and impact of genuine accessibility. And I really loved the vision he casts for the work he is currently doing through Ablr.

Proximity builds empathy, and this book is challenging how I think of inclusion in my own work and life spheres. Highly recommend this thought-provoking and inspiring memoir!

[Poppy Field · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5. This a memoir, but it really excels in being a critique and reflection of society’s treatment of disabled people. It excels in being a case study for the importance of accessibility and an accessible world.
I saw a similar review to mine state that they preferred this side of it, to the authors life achievements, and I do have to agree.

It’s so amazing to see other disabled people thriving, but often those thriving are, sadly, the exception in this current world. It’s also hard for us to thrive without becoming inspo p**n.
There’s also a side of it where, I know we work 1000x harder than non-disabled people to get anywhere, so celebrate the wins, fair enough!

Ultimately, I most related to the long journey of slowly identifying as being disabled, slowly coming into your needs. Struggling as a child. It also helped me connect with my blind partner, who has a similar childhood.

Sharing your story in a raw and humorous way is commendable. Easy and quick to read.

Thank you NetGalley for this copy

[Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful and inspiring book with lots to learn for both visionary impaired and non-visually impaired individuals. I learned a lot! Thank you for sharing your story!

[Kristina the Book Forager · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Don't Ask the Blind Guy for Directions"  written by John Samuel 📚 5 ⭐️
#bookreview
Imagine this - It is getting late and it's dark outside... thump... you just walked into the dust bin... thump.. another dust bin! The truth is that it is not even that dark outside, the truth is that you are losing your eyesight and within one year you are going to be completely blind!
A challenging life twist what one might give in but not John, giving up was not an option. Embracing his disability brought strength, new ideas that help others and strong sincere friendships.
I enjoyed reading John Samuel's life story and found it very encouraging and who knows, I might climb Kilimanjaro mountain too someday - yes, he did that too! A real inspiration!

Big thank you to NetGalley, BookSirens and the publisher for the ARC opportunity!

[Lisbeth Ivies · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based on the title alone, I expected 'Don't Ask the Blind Guy for Directions' to be full of humor. And thankfully, author John Samuel did actually deliver on that unspoken promise for the most part. A raw memoir, the reader is taken on the journey of a rather eventful life burdened by degenerative eye disease and bolstered by a will to not give in.

For someone with no directions to give, the author has been a lot of places. And worked there too! An international businessman and climber of one of the highest peaks in the world, the story of Samuel's life almost seems too fantastical to be true. Because there is so much to tell, the pace at times feels frenetic too. Speeding through some parts perhaps a bit too fast and then hanging on others.

The largest takeaways I had from this book are less about the author's own life and more on the way people with disabilities are often treated by the system. The strongest parts are here, both in the presentation of facts and in the way the team he finally found a home in has been working to improve other people's lives. While the context of his personal struggles dealing with his own disability is both poignant and important, I feel less focus should have been put on the parts of his life that didn't include this.

There were too many times where the narrative was bogged down by 'I did this, and then I did this, and then this happened too' type of retelling. Repetition of the same feelings and thoughts expressed with largely no variation between them also led to this just being a presentation issue for me. This is one of the main reasons for the lower rating.

The other is the lack of realization the author seems to have about his own responsibility when it comes to some of what happens to him. Yes, the system can and should do more. Yes, he does mention that he should speak up more. But compared to the rest of what goes on, there is largely no culpability on his part that's expressed. This bothers me in more than one place but especially when it comes to two scenes.

In a large auditorium for a presentation, he asks an usher for help because he has trouble seeing. The usher obliges and helps the author to the front of the room for a better view. There is fire in the words that describe how this accommodation was terrible because it still didn't help, one of the only times the writing truly seems to get emotional. I would argue that unless something more specific was said (and didn't translate into the book), the usher did as much as they could to help with the information given.

The other scene involves a proctored test that Samuel needs to take. He's astonished that the piece of equipment he needs isn't being provided, but from my own experience, quite a few things aren't provided by those testing centers. That's usually information given when signing up for them. Calculators for instance are a big example of this. Just like with the use of a cane, I think there was some resentment toward accommodations, and it was easier to place the blame outside of oneself.

Overall, I commend the author for the things he's been through, and for the fortitude it must have taken for him to end up where he has. I just would have appreciated a sharper focus either on his own growth or the struggles and ways to overcome them that those with disabilities face.

[Kara Ayers · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little context first: I listened to this book in its entirety in one day in preparation for a book club discussion.
"No Country for the Blind" by Andrew Leland is one of my favorite disability memoirs.
People get all sorts of angry when I review memoirs as there seems some confusion that rating a book and the stories one chooses to tell through their lens of life is the same as actually rating someone's life. It's not and thus, yes, I rate the memoirs I read.
OK...It is without a doubt John Samuel has lived an interesting life. Most readers will find his stories interesting.
There is one inescapable theme of this book that is never resolved nor never acknowledged or labeled: INTERNALIZED ABLEISM
In short, readers are told many, many, many tales of Samuels bumping into things, tripping, falling, injuring himself, losing friendships, losing jobs, forgoing commitments (never returning to a dorm who he shared with a friend), and making questionable life choices. I'm fairly certain we're expected to conclude that this represents a typical, expected, or even a positive adjustment to disability and I don't agree. Even by the end of the book I'm not convinced Samuel's has integrated his identity into who he is and/or realizes the pain internalized ableism NOT blindness has caused him.
Another word not mentioned in the book that is prominent is SHAME.
I would have liked to learn more about the cultural aspects of Samuel's family and upbringing that seemed to hinder his mother's acceptance but facilitated his sister's.
Somewhat awkwardly added into personal stories are blurbs of statistics related to disability that lack context or true understanding by the author. For example, Mr. Samuel works for months and should have been paid (by his account) nearly $70K but received nothing. He postponed directly asking his employer for his wages and when he does, he's not successful in receiving backpay so he (finally) quits. Samels inserts a paragraph about 14c certificates, which allow companies to pay people with disabilities (mostly developmental and intellectual disabilities) subminimum wages. The only thing sheltered workshops (which function under these 14c certificates) have in common with Samuel's continued hard work without pay might be ableism (the former institutional and the latter internalizeD) but again, he never seems to identify the role of ableism in his life.
Last, Samuel concludes with what he believes an important takeaway that "Proximity builds empathy," but that's not quite right either. It's long been believed but also disputed by a growing body of research that mere contact with disabled people will decrease ableism (which again, is different than empathy but I digress.....). That's not actually the case. Contact theory informs us that we don't just need disabled people in our spaces. We need to see them in roles with power, like our bosses, pastors, teachers, etc. Only then does mere proximity seem to do anything.

I'm a little extra bummed about this book because I worry it will be the only one read on the topic of disability by my large employer's book club and it is so NOT representative of the many amazing messages that could have been conveyed.

[Jeff Gudzune, M.A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

How one reacts when their carefully laid plan encounters a snag is a testament to their character. Don’t Ask the Blind Guy for Directions: A 30,000-Mile Journey of Love, Confidence, and a Sense of Belonging is more than a memoir. There are two layers to this narrative. The author’s own story as well as a glimpse at an ill-prepared corporate America. The author’s personal journey overlaps, and is less interesting than, his analysis of how woefully under equipped corporate America was to accommodate the needs of persons with disabilities.

The Personal Narrative:

John Samuel had the world before him when he first noticed the signs of progressive blindness. From an early age, he knew exactly the path he wanted to take. John wanted to be like his father. In him, John saw the best qualities of a man. Coming to the United States from India with nothing but his dreams, John’s father worked his way through school and eventually rose to the top tiers of his profession. John admired his father for his hard work and ingenuity. He wanted to be just like him. All of that changed when he began to lose his vision at an early age. Keeping the secret for months, he finally came to terms with the looming specter of blindness after a near collision in the dead of night. Something was wrong.

After consulting with an eye specialist, John was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa—a degrative eye condition that often leads to total blindness. This news hit like a bomb. Denial gave way to depression, which precipitated heavy drinking. His relationships suffered. His grades suffered. He knew he had to do something to alter the direction his life was taking. After being suspended from Virginia Commonwealth University, John entered New York State University where he dedicated himself to improving his performance.

Despite a rocky start, he graduated with a degree in accounting. His struggles, however, were not over. Corporate America in the 1980s was not a welcoming environment to someone with a disability. In fact, any disability was a liability that could potentially scuttle advancement. It was a different, far more barbaric time in America. The author includes statistics to inform his conclusions, but steers clear of blatant indictment. Just facts.

The Analysis:

The book is a linear progression told in the author’s own words, using the benefit of hindsight and statistical analysis. There are no surprises or titillating conspiracy theories to dramatize into an epic movie of the week. It is just a simple story. The personal narrative begins to slip into self-aggrandizement towards the middle of the book. Yes, the author had a successful career and due to his financial success can climb mountains and tour Europe. These chapters, while interesting, seem more like a “look at me” type retelling. I found myself less interested in how many things he did with his life than I did in the litany of statistics he used to reinforce his key points. That was the strength of the narrative.

A good memoir, but a much more effective social commentary.


I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[♏ Gina☽ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is quite a treasure.

With my intense love of reading and photography, both of which obviously rely on the power of sight, the author brought forth one of my biggest fears - ever losing my vision. When I started needing corrective lenses in 2nd or 3rd grade, I wondered if that meant my eyes would continually get worse until I couldn't see any more. I never voiced that to any adults, but it played in the back of my mind for a long time, especially as my eyesight did get worse throughout the years, but was always corrected with glasses and contacts. However, I think most of us would agree that losing our sight would be a nightmare.

The author of this book, John Samuel, faced that very thing. He was given a diagnosis that would lead to eventual blindness.

In this story, he opens up every emotion he felt and how he overcame the fear, the anger, and a myriad of emotions I'm not sure words can even describe. How does it feel to know you will be labeled "disabled"? How do you navigate a world where sight seems to be a prerequisite for success? How do you regain happiness? And finally, how do you bring the struggles to light in order to begin to see changes in how the visually impaired are seen by society?

Mr. Samuel is the CEO and co-founder of Ablr. There is no "can't" in his vocabulary and rightly so. He has traveled the world. He has met challenges head on and then tried to make it easier for others in his situation.

He is truly an inspiration.

[Megz · Rating 4 out of 5]

My dad has Retinitis Pigmentosa - the same as John Samuel - and just like the author, his disability played a massive role in his life story. Because I am so familiar with the struggles my dad faced, it was hard to read Samuel’s words without being overwhelmed by emotion.

I found this memoir - it reads like a memoir, at least - to be a good reflection of what visually impaired persons deal with daily. I enjoy that the author is able to recognise those areas where he has privilege, and those areas where he can help others. Although his initial refusal to accept/face his disability is infuriating, I was relieved to see him growing into eventual acceptance.

While the book is readable, and one I will encourage others to read, I have some gripes. One is that it is unclear whether this is meant to be memoir, or motivational reading. One might think those two can (and do) overlap, but I find that books are more successful when they lean more firmly towards one or the other, rather than attempting to straddle both. When a memoir leans too much toward the motivational kind of genre, it can become biased towards positive experiences, and it becomes more difficult to “trust” the author.

Second, I think the title of the book is tongue-in-cheek, and probably has an element of an inside joke - but it doesn’t quite show itself in the work, and it makes for a sense of disjointedness. Likewise, the tagline, referring to “a 30,000-mile journey” - while distance and travel are not really thematically emphasised throughout the narrative in such a way that the content streamlines with the tag.

Lastly, while I think the use of facts is critical in a book about disability and accessibility, it would have worked better for the author to share the facts in his own words, rather than to extract quotes from published statistical reports.

All that said, this remains a book I will recommend to persons both seeing, and not.

Thank you to Baron Publishing and Netgalley for the eARC, in exchange for an honest review.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first heard John Samuel speak at TEDxRaleigh in 2021. This was the first time I heard a blind individual speak about the accessibility of technology within the corporate space. He was the only speaker from the event that I still think about.

I was thrilled to see that he published a memoir documenting his journey as he lost his site but still navigated the corporate world. Samuel struggled all through school due to his poor eyesight, accommodations were nearly non existent and Samuel did not know how to truly advocate for himself.

Fast forward after an impressive life of ups and downs in the corporate world across the globe, John Samuel is now the face of a company that strives to assist companies in being accessible to the blind through tech.

Samuel's story is amazing and inspiring in so many ways. I loved reading more of his background and career protectory after listening to him speak years ago. The awareness he's brought to me about accessibility will stick with me for a long time. Companies love to talk about their DEI (diversity, equality, inclusion), but forget that their offices and technology is not accessible. Even using IDEA (inclusion, diversity, equality, accessibility) still have Accessibility at the end as an after thought. It's time for a change to bring qualified, hard workers into the workforce if we just make is accessible for them.

Thank you Netgalley for my free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

[Anne Wellman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I raced through this well written book because it is so gripping. Author John Samuel narrates his journey from denial of his increasing blindness, to acceptance and then on to advocacy. En route he details with complete honesty the emotional and even physical damage he sustained through unwillingness to admit to his condition (keeping it from friends and work colleagues), and then his growing confidence as he finally adopts software for the vision-impaired, and, in the end, the dreaded white cane. He is now the successful founder and CEO of a business working for inclusion and accessibility. There are valuable lessons here, not only about accommodation in the workplace and how it can contribute to business, but also about the need for all of us to remain alert to hidden disability. Well worth reading.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Stephanie Pieck · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author tells the story of his journey from fear, denial, and doubt to acceptance, confidence, and empowerment as a blind man. This should be required reading in every human resources department, especially for hiring managers. The book refutes the mistaken beliefs about the high cost of accommodating disabled workers, or that disabled people don't want to (or can'ment) work hard. The book also highlights the benefits of building accessibility into systems or products from the beginning rather than leaving it to get fixed only after a disabled person complains about it. The author also notes that people with disabilities are not always comfortable asking with accommodations and urges companies to raise the subject as a standard part of any orientation discussion, especially for those with invisible disabilities.

[Nakhul Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

This coming of age story of a man who comes in terms with his disability is so inspiring that I finished in one go. The story is a roller coster ride of ups and downs in John’s life. John is diagnosed with a rare eye condition called retinitis pigmentosa from a very young age. Even though he knows that he will be fully blind in future, John is relentless in his pursuit to have a successful family and professional career. The main take way from this book is it teaches you to embrace your weaknesses.

[Shell · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Samuel has gone incredibly far in his life. Add the fact that he was going blind during some of his achievements, makes him even more incredible. I throughly enjoyed reading about his journey, but just can't understand why he hid the fact that he was going blind. Even when his lack of vision affected what he wanted to achieve, he still wouldn't admit his blindness and forcefully advocate for himself. He is an excellent writer and his journey is inspirational.

[Sadie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one man’s journey into slowly accepting that he has a genetic condition that made him go fully blind.

He did a really great job at describing what the struggle of accepting a disability is like and to what extent humans are able to struggle and almost die before asking for help.

Not the most well written or engaging but important nonetheless. The way he talks about being a businessman is like the equivalent of a war doctor.

[Bibliohiker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book. At first, the author kept wanting to do things his own way, even though he was loosing his sight. He eventually comes around and realizes that the cane helps him navigate the world. I think we’re all like that at some point in our lives;we don’t want things to change yet they always do.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative and not too heavy of a read for being a memoir.
I liked the heavy focus towards some of the later chapters in the book about being unemployed and disabled. As an unemployed disabled person I really appreciated that.

Don't have the energy right now to write a longer review, so yeah I recommend it as a short memoir by a blind person!

[Dogeared · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent story of a man finding his way in a world not often designed for those with disabilities. It’s an easy, conversational writing style and a fairly short read, so I found I raced through it quickly, frequently inspired by Samuels’ drive and work ethic. Highly recommend reading to gain an understanding how how life can be for those with disabilities, and how we can be better allies.

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book that really highlights the challenge that visually impaired people face. While I enjoyed the book as a whole this was the personal story of one man and I would have enjoyed hearing from others.

[Courtney Fraser · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have different disabilities than blindness, but I still felt what you were saying. It made me think of my own struggles as a person with disabilities. It also gave me more motivation to get my autobiography out there.

[Hannah Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book.
Hilariously funny yet heart wrenching. I love the authors attitude and it’s proved to be incredibly impactful on what he’s managed to achieve.
Definitely recommend this book, it really makes you consider barriers and what you can really achieve when you want to.

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have recently joined a UK sight loss charity as their Head of Accessibility, Diversity and Inclusion. I was excited to read John’s story because as he says, “proximity builds empathy”. I really enjoyed this book and it has given me a lot to think about within my own role at work!

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this. The descriptions of how to provide accommodations were especially helpful. I enjoyed the mountain climbing episode and its message that any among us can be disabled, even temporarily.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you for the free kindle copy.
The author went through a lot to become who he is today.
He made things better for people with disabilities.
Great read!

[Elona M · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredibly touching story and the author truly has a way with words. I will think about this book for a long time.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great story for acceptances and moving forward. I recommend if you need a bit of inspiration.

[Gabby]

My work’s book club read so I will not be rating

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved this book!! It’s an inspiring story about the author’s journey to accept his disability and how he turns this acceptance into a career helping others.