About Itto – 2023 Edition
Itto Outini is a journalist, Fulbright scholar, Steinbeck fellow, human rights activist, interdisciplinary consultant, international public speaker, and author of the forthcoming memoir, Blindness is the Light of My Life. Numerous outlets have featured her story, most notably BBC Outlook. She has an MA in journalism and strategic media from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville and a BA in applied linguistics from Mohamed V University in Rabat, Morocco.
In 2021, she founded Fulbrighters with Disabilities in coordination with the Fulbright Association, and in 2022, she made history by co-chairing a panel at the 15th Session of the Conference of State Parties to the UN CRPD.
In 2022, she and Mekiya co-founded The DateKeepers, an international media platform dedicated to telling untold stories, promoting nuanced journalism, and spotlighting well-lived lives. Itto also offers a diverse suite of services. To book her for a consultation or speaking engagement, contact her directly at itto.outini@gmail.com.

Itto's Services
How to Start a Business Consultation
Less than a week after launching my own business, I found myself working less, earning more, and producing more valuable outputs than I had in months at my full-time job. If you're burnt out from working for others and can't wait to forge your own path, I'll be happy to guide you on your way.
Self-Advocacy Consultation
If my topsy-turvy life has taught me one thing, it's how to advocate for myself. I've managed to access opportunities and achieve professional and personal success because of the skills and knowledge I've gained from a difficult but rewarding life. If you're stuck and unsure how to navigate your professional, social, or personal relationships, I can help you find your way.
TOEFL / GRE / IELTS Prep Consultation
To become a Fulbright scholar, I had to pass all these tests with flying colors. I gave up sleep and food so I could buy books and study materials I needed—and so that you wouldn't have to. If you dream of studying abroad, I can show you the way.
Public / Motivational Speaking
I'm an international public speaker with over a decade of experience. The topics I cover range from overcoming adversity to assistive technology to my forthcoming memoir, Blindness is the Light of My Life. I've been invited to speak at the United Nations, Verizon Wireless, Cal Tech, North Seattle College, and more. I accept in-person and virtual engagements. If you'd like to book me, please contact me at least six months in advance.
Study Abroad Consultation
Before I became a Fulbright scholar, I was homeless. I was abandoned by my family. I was blind. According to society, I had no prospects—until I earned the Fulbright and became an international scholar. If you aspire to study abroad, I will help you familiarize yourself with opportunities and guide you through the process so that your potential can be realized as well.
How to Write Your Memoir Consultation
Are you trying to write a memoir, but aren't sure how to navigate the challenges, pitfalls, and potentially compromising disclosures such a book would require? I've been there, and I can help you chart a path that preserves your story's truth and integrity without putting your, your subjects, or your loved ones in danger.
Request an Interview (You Interview Itto)
I've given interviews to outlets including BBC Outlook, Blind Abilities Podcast, and ABILITY Magazine. With the launch of my memoir approaching, now is a good time to book me if you want to feature my story so that your audience be motivated, moved, and inspired.
Request an Interview (Itto Interviews You)
I worked as a journalist for over a decade and published with numerous accredited outlets including the Chicago Tribune, and ABILITY Magazine. I now write for The DateKeepers while continuing to publish with other platforms. I look forward to telling your story with integrity and sharing it with the world.
Content Writing
My work is infused with perspectives and insights derived from lived experience, education (formal and otherwise), research, interviews, and critical thinking. I take my journalism ethics seriously and will not waste your time with anything but the most sophisticated work.
Digital Accessibility Consultation
When I first started my assistive technology training, I was told that it would take me at least five years. Five months later, I'd masters JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, a full suite of Microsoft, Apple, and Google products, and more. If you have a product or website and you need to find out whether it's accessible (and what to do if it's not), I'm the expert for you!
Publications
INTERVIEWS & PROFILES
-
"Thinker, Toiler, Sportsman Spry: Blind Cricketer Sonu Golkar is Changing India and the World." Co-Authored with Mekiya Outini. Profile. The DateKeepers. May 2023.
-
"A New Vision for Sri Lanka: Manique Gunaratne was almost a Doctor. Now She's Healing Other Wounds." Co-authored with Mekiya Outini. Profile. The DateKeepers. April 2023.
-
"At the Nexus: Helen Burge Incorporates Accessibility Across Her Life." Co-authored with Mekiya Outini. Profile. The DateKeepers. March 2023.
-
"Advocacy in the Balance: Ben VanHook Gives Gratitude its Due without Denying Loss." Co-authored with Mekiya Outini. Profile. The DateKeepers. February 2023.
-
“The Heroine with a Thousand Interfaces: Amy Pedid Weaves a Story of a World that Can Work for Us All.” Co-authored with Mekiya Outini. Profile. The DateKeepers. January 2023. Republished in the World Blind Herald, April 2023.
-
"Osama Shamallakh Says 'I-CAN': Elevating the Lives of People with Disabilities in Occupied Palestine." Co-authored with Mekiya Outini. Profile. The DateKeepers. January 2023.
-
"The Accessible Revolution: Vashkar Bhattacharjee and the Birth of an Inclusive Digital Bangladesh." Co-authored with Mekiya Outini. Profile. The DateKeepers. December 2022.
-
"Interview with Professor Arlene S. Kanter." Interview. ABILITY Magazine. December 2022.
-
"Tricia Malowney – Now My Journey's about Empowering Others." Interview. ABILITY Magazine. December 2022.
-
"Hannah Orban – Equalizing Opportunities." Interview. ABILITY Magazine. April 2022.
-
"Maria Teresa Lago – Laying Foundations for the Next Generation." Profile. ABILITY Magazine. April 2022.
-
"Elizabeth Sammons — Citizen of the World." Interview. ABILITY Magazine. March 2022.
-
"Cortney Radocaj — Intersectionality, Publishing and Diverse Literature." Interview. ABILITY Magazine. March 2022.
-
"Interview with Lu Randall." Interview. ABILITY Magazine. February 2022.
ESSAYS, OP-EDS & COMMENTARIES
-
"The Eyes of the Beholder." Essay. The DateKeepers. May 2023.
-
"How Fulbright Believed in Me When No One Else Did, and How I Had to Break the Mold to Pass this Gift On." Essay. The Fulbright Chronicle. April 2023.
-
"Ignorance Isn't Always Bliss, but Neither is it Shame." Essay. The DateKeepers. March 2023.
-
"Public Access, Private Hell." Op-Ed. The World Blind Herald. March 2023.
-
"When There's No Such Thing as Trust." Essay. The DateKeepers. February 2023.
-
"Coronavirus, Kelly Clarkson, Coffee, and Me." Essay. The DateKeepers. December 2022.
-
"Do We Really Have to Go with the Flow – The Reality Behind Remittances." Op-ed. ABILITY Magazine. April 2022.
-
"The Pandemic is Accessible, Too." Op-ed. ABILITY Magazine. March 2022.
-
"Commentary: A Moroccan orphan finds the American Dream is also accessible." Op-ed. The Chicago Tribune. February 2020.
BLOG POSTS
-
"How the Fulbright Gave Me Access to the World." Blog post. The Fulbright Association Blog. October 2022.
-
"From Homelessness in the Atlas Mountains to the UNDP Headquarters." Op-ed. UNDP's People for 2030 Blog Post. November 2021.
“Blindness is the light of my life.”
Media Appearances
-
"Itto & Mekiya Outini: Disability Advocates, Journalists, Co-Founders of The DateKeepers." Interviewed on The Caring Economy. April 2023.
-
Interviewed on Talk Radio Europe – The Lifestyles Show. November 2022.
-
Interviewed on RNIB Connect Radio – Tracks of My Life. October 2022.
-
"How I Fell in Love with Blindness." Interviewed on BBC Outlook: Lives Less Ordinary. August 2022.
-
“Itto Outini — Blindness is the Light." Interview with ABILITY Magazine. November 2021.
-
“A Journey Like No Other – Abandonment, Blinded, Homeless and Fighting for Self-Determination – Meet Itto Outini: – Fulbright Alumna, Journalist, Feminist, Human Rights Activist and Accessibility Advocate." Interviewed on Blind Abilities Podcast. November 2021.
-
Interviewed on KMBC Channel 9 – News at Noon. March 2021.
-
"Fulbright Alumna, Journalist, & Feminist Itto Outini: I Am Living Proof of the American Dream." Interview with Authority Magazine. March 2021.
-
Interviewed on KKFI 90.1 Kansas City, MO. January 2021.
-
Interviewed on KUAF 91.3 Fayetteville, AR. January 2018.
-
Interviewed on UA TV, Fayetteville, AR. October 2017.
-
Interviewed on HesPress, Rabat, Morocco. July 2017.
-
Interviewed on Radio Medina FM, Mèknes, Morocco. October 2016.
"Focusing on my education has always paid off. I never regretted what I gave up for the sake of educating myself."
