Book Review: I Identify as Blind by Lachi

Cover of I Identify As Blind by Lachi. Navy blue background with blue, yellow, green, and pink swirl design. Text reads “I Identify As Blind: A Brazen Celebration of Disability Culture, Identity, and Power. Lachi.”

By Dennis Burke, Member of the Diversability Leadership Collective

This piece was originally published in Ave Astra’s Volume 03.

I Identify as Blind by Lachi is a thoughtful and engaging book that explores what it means to live with blindness and disability while embracing identity, community, and advocacy. Through humor, personal stories, and cultural insight, Lachi shares her journey of learning to accept her blindness and finding strength within the disability community.

In the book, Lachi discusses not only her own experiences but also the broader issues surrounding disability. She highlights the idea that disability is not just a medical condition—it is also a culture and community. The book also emphasizes the importance of allies and explains how people can better support and advocate for individuals with disabilities. Lachi uses humor throughout the book, which helps make difficult topics more approachable and easier to understand for readers.

As someone who is low vision myself, this book resonated with me in a very personal way. Reading about Lachi’s experiences gave me hope that accepting my own disability is possible and that there is strength in embracing who we are. Her writing felt honest and empowering, especially when discussing the challenges people with disabilities face in society.

One moment that stood out to me was a statistic mentioned in the book that 52 percent of people would rather die than have a disability. That statistic was very shocking to me and highlights how much misunderstanding still exists about disability. It reinforced the importance of conversations like the ones Lachi is having in this book.

I would recommend I Identify as Blind to anyone who has a disability, as well as to people who want to better understand and support the disability community. It is an insightful and meaningful read that encourages readers to think about disability, identity, and allyship in a new way.