By Jack Tomlin
After living in a small village for six years I finally decided it was time to move on, I was seeking more space, a bigger garden and a more central location. I had been wanting to move for a while, but it never quite felt like the right time. In December 2022 I started looking and viewed a few places to see what was on offer. Eventually I found the perfect cottage in a nearby village. It had a few drawbacks but nothing that couldn’t be fixed. I signed all the paperwork and within a month I was moving in.
Everything worked out and I am now writing this article in my new house. Getting to this point wasn’t as easy as the first paragraph seems, there was plenty of things that I struggled with along the way.
Viewing properties with a vision impairment is no small feat, assessing the size of rooms and the overall condition of the place was rather difficult. I took friends or family with me for a second opinion and to highlight things I may have missed. Ensuring they know what you are looking for is key as well as not being afraid to ask the agent questions, no matter how silly they may seem in your head.
Accessing the photos online was also tricky on some websites but I found that voiceover seemed to work well with Rightmove. Having someone with more vision to assist with the search was great.
A lot of the paperwork has moved online since my last move and not all was compatible with voiceover. The bits that weren’t had to be read by someone else but most I was able to do myself. This is a really helpful change and makes it a lot easier to keep up with forms and gives your far more control over what you are signing when you are able to read it independently.
Organisation is key when planning to move out / in! Box one room at a time and stick a braille label on the top so you know the contents. Try to put as much into boxes as you can, rather than bags, it is a lot tidier meaning less tripping over. Remember to go through your stuff to see if you can declutter anything as you are boxing up. I had so much I had forgotten about that I gave to charity or sold so that someone else could make use of it. Colour coding the boxes to the rooms is also a game changer!
No matter how easy you make it for yourself it still seems a little stressful, so make sure you leave time at the end of each day to relax and do something you enjoy. Pack things you will need the day of the move in a suitcase so you don’t have to search on the first night. After all the stress I can definitely tell you it is worth it, I am so happy in my new place!
Most of all, take it easy and keep it fun! If you are hoping to move, I hope this helped and that the move goes well.
Jack Tomlin
About Jack…
Hello all, I’m Jack, I am 23 and I attended a school for the blind where I gained valuable life skills. I am currently studying Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) Level 4, whilst working in a Finance Department. I hope to go on to achieve chartered status in a few years.
As well as studying and working I enjoy sport, reading and politics. I have recently joined Winchester Kings Goalball Club where I hope to grow back into the sport.
I look forward to producing content for STRiVE and I hope that you enjoy what I produce.
Hi Jack. You’re an inspiration. I’ll tell your story to my blind son who’s a few years older than you. Hope he follow your good example in life. It’s really very encouraging and full of motivation what you had achieved. Good luck in all your endeavours and wish you all the best in life.