Sara Mornis admits she can be soft spoken, but she’s a self-proclaimed thrill seeker at heart. This quest for adventure has shown up in her many years of skiing and other things she has taken a leap of faith on in her life.
A native of Reading, Vermont, Sara splits time between Vermont and New Hampshire. She was born with CHARG Syndrome, a condition that can cause a number of physical disabilities. For her, it resulted in total blindness and a blocked nostril. She had surgery as a child to open her nasal passage.
She first attended public school and later graduated from Perkins School for the Blind in Massachusetts.
“Overall, it was a good transition because mainstream school was having trouble adapting to my needs,” she recalls. “I was the only blind student in my mainstream school.”
She then attended Johnson State College (now known as Northern Vermont University) where she graduated with a degree in interdisciplinary studies and a triple concentration in English, psychology, and alternative medicine. Professionally, she completed a screen reader user testing program through the Carroll Center for the Blind. She has done some internships and contract work in accessibility with a few different companies. She has also visited places around town to introduce herself in person in hopes of getting her name out there for future opportunities, a strategy she believes can be more effective than strictly searching for jobs online.
In terms of ACB, she originally got an email about the organization’s conference calls early in the pandemic in 2020 and checked out one on accessible games hosted by Cindy Hollis and Meka White.
“I fell in love with the community just to meet and be around other blind people,” Sara shares. “I’ve kind of felt isolated because there aren’t a lot of blind people in my area to connect with. Having a network and community to reach out to is huge.”
She discovered ACB Next Generation through the ACB Community and started attending social events on Zoom and Clubhouse. It eventually became a passion of hers to get more involved, joining a few committees and then being elected to the ACB NextGen board of directors in 2025. She has served on the Advocacy, Membership, and Publications/PR Committees.
“Hopefully I can help better myself as a leader to gain skills and confidence with the goal to also help grow the next generation of leaders,” she says.
Outside of ACB NextGen, Sara has been involved in the Vermont state affiliate, a group she says is small and spread out. She’s also a member of Blind Information Technology Solutions (BITS).
Her other passions include listening to music, reading, spending time outdoors, and gaming. One of her favorite mobile games for the iPhone is Swordy Quest. Skiing is also high on Sara’s list. She started skiing in elementary school at the age of six. She explains why hitting the slopes is so refreshing.
“I love the feeling. It’s a freeing feeling gliding down the mountain with the breeze and snow in your face. To me, it’s the best equivalent to flying.”
For many years, she has attended the Visually Impaired/Blind Winter Festival, a weekend of adaptive skiing and social activities hosted by an organization called Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports. Her older brother was even trained as a guide and has guided her on the slopes several times.
And what is it like having a ski guide as someone who is totally blind?
“You have to develop a strong sense of trust,” she says. “They stay five feet behind me and call out turns and tell me if I need to go a certain direction.”
Even though Sara has faced lots of adversity in her life, she maintains a positive attitude.
“My dad always says, ‘If you’re not smiling, you’re doing something wrong.’ Try to live life to the fullest, chase what you’re passionate about, and just have fun.”