About

Chris Peterson, wearing a blue suit and brown shoes, seated beside his guide dog, Kronos, a yellow Labrador retriever

A little about me

Permission to Be You is my ongoing experiment in living honestly as a blind dad, software engineer, nonprofit leader, and human in progress.

Blind dad · Technologist · Nonprofit leader · Writer

I was born blind and raised with the expectation that I would lead a successful life. I earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Southwest Minnesota State University and a master’s degree in software engineering from the University of Minnesota. Over the course of my career, I worked as a software developer for IBM, Lenovo, and Thrivent Financial.

Throughout adulthood, I learned a great deal about managing money—mostly through accidental successes and mistakes I made along the way. In 2020, I made it my mission to help other blind people learn some of the lessons I had to learn the hard way.

Building Penny Forward

Knowing I could not do it alone, I began building Penny Forward: a community of blind people, their families, and friends who share an interest in financial independence.

Penny Forward helps people build the knowledge and confidence to navigate personal finance through accessible education, practical resources, and community.

Learn more about Penny Forward.

A turning point

In 2026, I experienced a major mental health event that caused me to reevaluate how I live. Since then, I have been thinking more intentionally about work-life balance, letting go of people-pleasing, and prioritizing healthy relationships.

I’m still learning how to live honestly—and writing is one way I make sense of it.

What you can expect

You can expect essays on a wide variety of subjects, often inspired by whatever is happening in my life at the time. I will not intentionally identify people or events in ways that point fingers or overshare. I will, however, draw on my experiences to illustrate my ideas—and I will always try to do so with respect.

Because I’m a nerd, I also write often about technology and my experiences with it, along with pop culture and anything else I think you might find interesting.

Major subjects

Start with one of the subjects I return to most often.

Blindness

Experiences, inclusion, and accessible design.

Mental health

Recovery, boundaries, and becoming healthier.

Relationships

Connection, respect, and navigating life together.

Technology

Tools, trends, accessibility, and a lifelong nerd’s perspective.

Personal finance

Practical lessons about money and financial independence.

Life, the Universe, and Everything

Meaning, identity, culture, and everything that does not fit neatly elsewhere.

Why this site exists

I have enjoyed writing for a long time. I started with LiveJournal in the late 2000s and later moved to Facebook. LiveJournal gave long-form writing a place to live; Facebook does not do that particularly well.

I also wanted to own my work and create the possibility of earning income from it. I launched this site to give my essays a permanent home—and to build a direct relationship with readers who value thoughtful, honest writing.