Lived Places Publishing author Stephanie Levin was interviewed about her book, Picking Up the Pieces: Finding My Way as a Visually Impaired Woman in Higher Education on the “Demand and Disrupt” Podcast. This episode first aired on June 28, 2025.
Show Notes
She first experienced vision complications at the age of 20, but never let this stop her from pursuing her aspirations…and we’re beyond excited to welcome her to this episode of “Demand and Disrupt”!! She is Stephanie Levin of New Jersey, who holds titles ranging from PHD candidate, to student affairs assistant, to even recently published author! Her debut is entitled “Picking Up the Pieces: Finding My Way as a Visually Impaired Woman in Higher Education”. Join Stephanie as she describes the onset of her partial vision loss, the inspiration behind her book, and the content we’ll be treated to between its covers. She’ll also explain the PHD program in which she’s enrolled, detail her Student Affairs position at Rowan University, and explain the means by which we can purchase her book.
Breaking Free: Rewriting the Script of Disability in American Higher Education
Stephanie Levin was also a guest in our seminar series, Topics in Education Studies hosted by Janise Hurtig, Lived Places Publishing Collection Editor. In Breaking Free: Rewriting the Script of Disability in American Higher Education, Stephanie discusses ableism as a systemic issue that continues to plague American postsecondary education – and how educators can help break the cycle of ableism and further promote inclusiveness within their institutions.
Read Stephanie’s Book
Drawing on personal experience, author Stephanie Levin provides an overview of disability history within higher education settings and explains the impact of poor care on disabled students. Stephanie was only 20 when she experienced retinal detachment that required surgery. Shortly afterwards she experienced retinal detachment in the same eye which resulted in vision loss. With her newfound identity as a visually impaired woman, Stephanie struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety. She refused accommodations within her university for fear of stigmatization, but she found that her acquaintances, professors, and friends viewed her differently.
Through themes of trauma and identity, Picking Up the Pieces: Finding My Way as a Visually Impaired Woman in Higher Education is ideal reading for teachers, carers, and disabled students as well as students of Disability Studies and Education.
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