For Alexander Xeras, it was a chance conversation with his niece that put him on the path to his first published book.
The first run of Mr Xeras’ book Tom’s Birthday Surprise has just been printed, and the 14,000 copies of the book means the 39 year-old has now fulfilled the promise he made to his niece 11 years ago.
“I was sitting with my niece one day and she asked me if I could write a children’s book, I said if she could help me come up with a good idea then I would do it,” Mr Xeras, a Vision Australia Telelink client, said.
Mr Xeras is legally blind and is also a wheelchair user. While no direct diagnosis has been made, doctors believe Mr Xeras’ vision loss is the result of meningitis, which he contracted in early childhood and then developed into Cerebral Palsy.
Mr Xeras said he and his niece drew experiences from his own life for Tom, who is also a wheelchair user.
“Tom isn’t 100% me. He’s sort of an amalgamation of my experiences and what other people with disabilities experience,” Mr Xeras said.
Tom’s Birthday Surprise is the first book in Mr Xeras’ A World On Wheels series, which will follow Tom as he navigates through a range of everyday experiences.
“I want the book to be something that kids enjoy reading, but I want it to be something that teachers or parents can use as something to educate kids about people who live with a disability.
“When I was growing up, a lot of the time I would hear that I wouldn’t be able to do certain things. I wanted Tom to be a character that be kids would be able to relate to and show them that because somebody uses a wheelchair or has a disability it doesn’t mean they can’t achieve what they want.”
To write the book, Mr Xeras, a former TAFE teacher, used a combination of computer software programs.
“With my vision my eyes bounce around and I can’t track the lines of text. I have software that zooms in on the page which helps me to keep track of things and then I use a voice recognition software to help me write.”
While his own passion for writing and the promise to his niece served as motivation to finish the book, Mr Xeras said has also received support from others in the blind and low vision community.
“I’ve been a Vision Australia Telelink client for a while and everybody in my group has been really supportive and they were excited to hear the book’s been published.”
Vision Australia’s Telelink program allows people from the blind and low vision community and others who may be isolated to share hobbies, interests, social chats and support in regular teleconference sessions.
For more about Mr Xeras' book, head to www.worldonwheelz.net or to purchase a copy head to www.gofundme.com/world-on-wheelz?r=2553.