URI’s Aria Mia Loberti Follows Up All the Light We Cannot See with Children’s Picture Book

In 2021, when East Greenwich’s Aria Mia Loberti burst into public consciousness as the lead in All the Light We Cannot See, the Netflix adaptation of the Anthony Doerr bestselling novel, it felt like a story melding serendipity and perseverance. Her meteoric rise – a person who is legally blind, first-time actor in a major role – belied decades of personal dedication, advocacy, and quiet, optimistic resolve.

In the Doerr book, which Loberti herself read and adored when it was first published, the main character is blind. Loberti, 31, was born with achromatopsia, a rare genetic condition that causes complete color blindness, very low vision, and light sensitivity. When someone suggested she audition for the role, she thought it would be a good way to make a statement about authentic representation in acting – an actress who is blind playing a character who is blind. Loberti sent in a raw audition tape that, to her disbelief, won her the starring role. She went on to win a Rising Star award at the Toronto International Film Festival and earned a nomination for Best Breakthrough Performance at the Film Independent Spirit Awards.

Loberti, though, is not one to rest on her many, many laurels. The University of Rhode Island graduate, Fulbright Scholar, and Penn State Ph.D candidate, was recently named a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, joining the ranks of other actors such as Audrey Hepburn, Susan Sarandon, and Liam Neeson. Now Loberti is turning the page again, this time toward the world of children’s literature, with I Am Ingrid: The Adventures of the World’s Greatest Guide Dog. “Writing a book was even more of a childhood dream than acting,” says Loberti, who after her acting accolades scored a meeting with Scholastic. Guide-dog Ingrid, of course, attended. “What better a topic than Ingrid?” she says.

In I Am Ingrid, Loberti tells, in the first-person narrative of Ingrid, the story of her loyal companion, who was trained by the California-based Guide Dogs for the Blind and has been with Loberti since her sophomore year in college. “There are so many universal themes in Ingrid’s story,” Loberti explains. “It’s about working hard to become the best version of yourself, trusting others, and loving yourself and your friends no matter what,” she says. Loberti is using the platform to normalize the idea that people with disabilities lead full lives of joy, challenges, pets, friendships, family, and creativity – not just obstacles. This book positions disability as part of life, not the whole of it. The book also includes nonfiction sections that explain what guide dogs do, how human-dog partnerships work, and introduce readers to the spectrum of vision.

Loberti’s mother, Audrey Loberti, remembers the moment she witnessed her daughter place complete trust in Ingrid. “For the first time, I had the opportunity to just be her mom. I didn’t even have to assist with grocery shopping because Ingrid memorized where all of Aria Mia’s favorite foods were located.”

Loberti is very emotional when talking about Ingrid, and how her “best friend” has helped her successfully navigate life’s joys and challenges, from everyday obligations to academia, travel, and acting (superstar Ingrid often gets her own director’s chair on set). Now they are, she says, in a place of “joyful transition.” Ingrid is 10 years old and in “partial retirement,” as Loberti’s sight has improved with the use of a newly developed prescription for contact lenses. “We will always be a team,” she says. “Both of us are full of life and eager to see more of the world.”

What’s next for Loberti is anyone’s guess, but the options sure do seem endless. She sees the potential for the book to become a series – think Clifford the Big Red Dog’s 71 different titles. She will continue forging a blueprint: a person with disability can exist in multiple spaces – performance, academia, authorship – without being constrained to one narrative. In the meantime, Ingrid will be chilling at Brickley’s in Wakefield, awaiting their next adventure.

While picture books are primarily visual, I Am Ingrid may be published with audio and tactile-accessible editions (Braille, high-contrast version, audiobook) to make it fully inclusive. Follow Loberti and Ingrid on Instagram: @GuideDogIngrid and @AriaMiaLoberti