Molly Burke, the influential YouTuber and disability advocate, invites readers into her world with her new memoir, Unseen: How I Lost My Vision But Found My Voice. More than just a beauty influencer, Burke’s book is a powerful blend of personal journey, education, and a heartfelt plea for greater empathy, demonstrating how she transforms challenges into a platform for change and representation for the blind community.
Molly Burke, a name synonymous with resilience and impactful advocacy, is making waves once again with the release of her poignant new memoir, Unseen: How I Lost My Vision But Found My Voice. At 31 years old, this Canadian entrepreneur, YouTuber, and motivational speaker has crafted a book that is not merely a recounting of her life but a vital educational tool and a call for greater understanding of the disability experience. Burke’s journey, marked by early vision loss and relentless determination, exemplifies how personal challenges can be transformed into a powerful platform for societal change.
A Childhood Unseen: Diagnosis and Early Struggles
Born on February 8, 1994, in Oakville, Ontario, Molly Burke’s early childhood took an unexpected turn at six months old when her grandfather noticed her eyes never stopped “dancing.” By the age of four, she received a diagnosis of retinitis pigmentosa, a rare genetic disorder that progressively breaks down the retina, leading to permanent vision loss. Her vision declined significantly by age 14, marking her as fully blind.
This period of deteriorating eyesight brought immense challenges. Burke faced bullying from classmates and even teachers who accused her of faking her blindness. Friends abandoned her, leaving her isolated and battling depression and anxiety. This difficult experience forced her to stop public speaking about her condition, a passion she had developed since she was five. She felt convinced that no one wanted to be around her.
Finding Her Voice on YouTube: The Birth of a Relentless Activist
In 2009, Molly Burke discovered YouTube, a platform that would become her sanctuary and, eventually, her stage. She reconnected with passions that her blindness had seemingly rendered inaccessible. Inspired by the beauty community, she found a new way to engage with makeup and fashion. “It was kind of my accessible way of reading a magazine or looking at a store window,” Burke shared, describing how other YouTubers became her “sisters helping me figure out how I could love and discover after vision loss.”
After therapy helped her regain confidence, Burke recognized her responsibility to educate society about disabilities. She resumed public speaking, winning Miss Teen Canada in 2010 with a message of boundless possibilities. Despite a debilitating accident that led to PTSD, she launched her own company and YouTube channel in 2014, taking control of her narrative and schedule. Her channel quickly gained traction, showcasing her infectious energy and positive outlook.
Burke’s YouTube content masterfully balances personal vlogs featuring her guide dog, Gallop (now Elton John), with chatty videos that dispel myths about blindness. She collaborates with creators of all abilities, making conversations about disability engaging and accessible. Her goal was never just to be “the disabled YouTuber” but to normalize disability by sharing her life as a “normal 24-year-old girl.” Through her authentic approach, she has fostered a community passionate about inclusivity and accessibility.
She tackles uncomfortable topics with humor, even asking prominent YouTubers like Casey Neistat to experience temporary blindness to foster empathy. Her subscriber count exploded, growing from 67,000 to over 2 million, solidifying her status as a one-woman revolution in the disability community. Burke’s online presence, including her official website, has been instrumental in offering representation and support that she lacked growing up.
“Unseen”: Crafting an Accessible and Honest Memoir
Molly Burke’s new memoir, Unseen, continues her mission of education and advocacy. She meticulously ensured the book’s accessibility, an effort that even pushed back its publishing date. The cover features her name and the title in braille, with bold gold type that appears as a metallic flash due to her light perception. “I’m blind, but I’m also a very visual person, a very detailed person,” Burke states, highlighting her desire for the cover to tell her story visually and tactilely.
Beyond the tactile elements, the book’s interior utilizes the Atkinson Hyperlegible font, recognized for its readability for individuals with low vision or dyslexia. Burke’s commitment to inclusivity extended to her book cover photoshoot, where she intentionally hired disabled professionals, including a quadriplegic makeup artist, a legally blind hairstylist, and an amputee photographer. This commitment reflects her broader advocacy, where she consults with companies on designing more inclusive products.
The memoir itself is a heartfelt conversation, covering her childhood bullying, navigating a world not built for her, and the profound realization that “good and bad exist harmoniously and that’s OK.” It challenges the “triumph over tragedy” narrative, offering a more nuanced and honest perspective on living with a disability.
Advocacy Beyond the Screen: Education and Inclusivity
Burke’s influence extends far beyond her online presence. She was named a Forbes 30 Under 30 creator for social media in 2024 and has appeared on major platforms, including “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” in 2022. Noah praised her ability to engage and “dispels so many of the myths around how we see blind people and how we think about people with disabilities.”
She actively works to smash stereotypes about blindness, addressing common misconceptions directly in her videos. For instance, she explains how she uses technology to type, how “watching” for her means “listening,” how her eyes can appear “normal” despite her blindness, and how light perception helps her look directly at a camera lens. She also dispels the myth that all blind people wear dark sunglasses.
The Ripple Effect: Inspiring a New Generation
The impact of Molly Burke’s work is profoundly felt by her audience. Fans regularly share how her openness about mental illness has encouraged them to seek help. Her content educates countless viewers about what life is like for disabled people, normalizing their experiences. She provides invaluable representation that she herself yearned for as a teenager.
During a recent book promotion, Burke met three middle-school-aged girls who were also losing their vision. They told her how they learned makeup and fashion from her, aspiring to have guide dogs because of her own dog, Elton John. This interaction underscored the core of Burke’s mission: showing young people that “there is nothing wrong with them. It’s a society issue, not an issue about them.”
Burke continues to build on her inspiring legacy. Her upcoming project is a children’s book written from the perspective of her beloved guide dog, Elton John, further expanding her reach and making conversations about disability accessible to even younger audiences. Her work serves as a testament to the power of authentic storytelling and unwavering advocacy in creating a more empathetic and inclusive world.
