From Darkness to Drafts with Elyse Draper: Writing as Survival

Episode Summary

Elise Draper joins Penn Street and Moses Street for a candid, funny, and deeply real conversation about living with progressive vision loss—and refusing to let society set the ceiling on what’s possible.

Elise shares her diagnosis (PIC), the long road through misdiagnosis, treatments, and the layered realities of chronic eye disease (including autoimmune inflammation, scarring, injections, and early-onset glaucoma). She also explains Charles Bonnet syndrome in practical terms—what it can look like, why it’s so disorienting, and why being dismissed by medical professionals can be as damaging as the symptoms themselves.

The conversation moves from the darkest seasons (depression, isolation, relationships fracturing under the strain) to rebuilding: community support, independence tools like the white cane, and a mindset shift that replaces “lowered expectations” with agency. Elise then spotlights the work she’s leading through the VIMB Creatives Workshop under the umbrella of IPub Global (iPub Cloud): creating a platform for blind and low-vision creatives to publish, get feedback, build professional skills (including resumes), and raise visibility for marginalized voices.

Contact Info

• Guest: Elise Draper — author, publisher, freelance writer; marketing director/CMO (as discussed in the episode)
• Creative Platform: VIMB Creatives Workshop (Elise notes you can find it by searching “VIMB Creatives Workshop”)
• Spotify: “VIMB Creatives Workshop” (as named in the episode)
• Aftersight: Aftersight.org
  • General contact: feedback@aftersight.org | (720) 712-8856
• Producer: Jonathan Price

Show Credits

• Hosts: Penn Street, Moses Street
• Guest: Elise Draper
• Producer: Jonathan Price
• Network: Aftersight (Aftersight Original Podcast)

Chapter Markers

• 00:00 — Show intro and welcome
• 02:19 — Elise’s name origin and pen name story
• 04:29 — Diagnosis: PIC (punctate inner choroidopathy) and current vision
• 06:51 — Life disruption, resilience, and “switching lanes”
• 11:03 — Early symptoms, misdiagnosis, and not being believed
• 13:26 — Mental health impact, sleep disruption, and depression
• 15:43 — Charles Bonnet syndrome explained (and why it gets dismissed)
• 18:04 — When it becomes unsafe: driving, vivid visuals, and the “time” moment
• 20:28 — Rebuilding independence: DVR support, mentors, and community
• 25:11 — Sheltered employment, systemic ableism, and raising the bar
• 32:28 — The white cane: stigma vs. freedom (and bruises as evidence)
• 34:55 — VIMB Creatives Workshop: what it is and who it’s for
• 39:30 — Submitting work, editing support, workshops, and author branding
• 44:20 — Accessibility hurdles in marketing and practical ways forward
• 46:43 — Elise’s recommended starting point: Free Will (2nd edition)
• 49:06 — Favorite author influence: Octavia Butler
• 51:28 — Wrap-up, gratitude, and Aftersight support message