Author Bio

Born sighted, Rania Gill is now deaf-blind from Usher Syndrome. It was a diagnosis received at age nineteen, while she was a young single mother. Determined to be an overcomer, she has found her happily-ever-after, both human and canine, is a guide dog user, and a mom of three. With the help of powerful hearing aids, screen readers, and now Braille, her writing continues. This degenerating disability, along with life’s hard knocks and ties to her father’s native India, bring a unique perspective to her storytelling.

In July 2021, Senator Chris Van Hollen invited Rania to a Senate subcommittee hearing to share her struggles as a blind author learning Braille. Her testimony was highlighted by The Frederick News Post in an article by Jack Hogan, along with other news outlets throughout the country. In 2001, Rania’s journey into blindness was featured in the Washington Post Magazine (“Fade to Black” by Tamara Jones), which led to a an appearance on the daytime talk show Iyanla.

Rania is a member of the Maryland Writer’s Association, Heritage Frederick and the National Federation of the Blind. In addition to acquiring literacy skills through her fingertips, she is writing a series that chronicles the lives of six siblings as they come-of-age during the Reconstruction and the dawn of our modern era.