REFLECTIONS | JO MILNE

Title

What Jo Milne Taught Me About Empathy In Disability

The Story

Jo shares her extraordinary story of living with Usher syndrome, a progressive condition causing both hearing and sight loss. Born deaf and later diagnosed with a condition that would gradually take her vision, Jo opens up about identity, isolation, empathy, and learning to navigate a world not designed for invisible disabilities.

After her cochlear implant activation went viral in 2014, millions watched Jo experience sound in a completely new way for the first time. Beyond that moment is a much deeper story about resilience, accessibility, slowing down, and finding strength through connection and understanding.

Opening

I discovered Jo, due to her being very active throughout social media, her viral video of the world witnessing Jo hearing for the first time. I was intrigued into who she was, and why she was putting herself out into the world to share her story. I wanted to understand what life actually looks like living with both hearing and sight loss, and how someone adapts to a world that often doesn’t fully understand invisible disabilities. 

What Stayed With Me

What stayed with me most was Jo’s approach to life, and how she deals with adversity. Living with a hearing impairment, then having to deal with a slow, deterioration of her vision, must have been really hard to deal with. The way she described slowing down, adapting, and constantly having to think ahead really made me reflect on how much we all take our lives and our health, for granted day to day.

The Bigger Reflection

A lot of disabilities aren’t immediately visible, and because of that, they’re often misunderstood. Jo’s story highlights how important empathy and awareness are. Something as simple as understanding what the red stripe on a cane means can completely change how we interact with someone. Small awareness creates better understanding, and Jo is certainly dedicating her life towards change.

A Line I Won’t Forget

“It’s all about empathy”

I really do think Jo’s message of empathy covers both disability, as well as on broader level of ourselves as a humanity.

Closing Thought

What I admire about Jo is her positivity. Her outlook on life. Despite the challenges she faces, she continues to educate, advocate, and help others understand disability. Her story isn’t just about hearing or sight loss, it’s about education, empathy and balance. Appreciating life, however big or small.