Talking to a blind person – just start the conversation!
How important are the words we use? In 2025, we live in a society where words are scrutinised more closely than ever before. It has become more important to use the right terms, especially when referring to a specific group of people, such as those with a vision impairment (VI). As someone who has been blind since birth, I am often faced with people wanting to ask questions and communicate, but who may be prevented from doing so due to a fear of saying the wrong thing. I can’t count the number of times people have [...]
My Experience of Sailing as a Blind Person
When you hear the word sailor, what kind of person comes to mind? When I first heard about a sailing week organised by the Sailing Vision Trust for visually impaired people last year, I imagined sailing as a physically demanding, highly visual, and inaccessible sport. I thought about the challenges: moving around the boat, steering it, and navigating safely. It felt impossible for someone blind like me. But I still wanted to give it a go, and I soon discovered how wrong my first impression was. Taking the first step into the unknown I first came [...]
Be inspired. Vote for Life of a Blind Girl in the Football Content Awards
Football Content Awards - Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Award – Individual Finalist 2025 We were excited to chat to Holly Tuke, writer and creator of Life of a Blind Girl, who is a finalist in this year's Football Content Awards. Holly has a couple of big passions: football and accessibility! After noticing many football clubs weren't including accessibility features on their social streams such as alt text, Holly reached out, struck up conversations and made a change. Her work opening conversations and raising awareness led to clubs improving their social accessibility, allowing vision impaired football fans to access [...]
Whispers in the Dark – by Ruqayyah Ullah
VICTA Changemakers Blindness Awareness Month #WorldSightDay A poem by Ruqayyah Ullah Whispers in the Dark When I was little, whispers told me things. They told me the sky wasn’t just “blue” — it made you think of bubble gum ice cream. They told me the park was full of secret colours: the bench was supposed to be black but the colour had faded from age, use and weather it was now more grey like a stormy sky, the puddles were shiny like pennies, and the dog was wagging its tail, it sounded like wind. [...]
A blind person at work: tough some days, easier than most think
Hear from Changemaker Robin on his experience as a VI person navigating the workplace Let’s start with the elephant in the room: what’s work really like when you’re visually impaired? A VIP, if you will. And no, it’s not the first time that joke’s been made. You’ll hear it again, probably at least once a week for the rest of your life. Landing the job is its own battle, but that’s for another article. This one’s about what comes next. The celebrations are over, the offer’s signed, and now it’s time to see what this whole [...]
Showdown! The blind sport taking para-sport by storm
VICTA Changemakers Blindness Awareness Month Millie-Jayne is passionate about raising awareness about vision impairments through her social media channels @the.way.i.see.it. Today she takes the chance to talk about another great passion, the blind sport, showdown. Millie interviews GB Showdown player Jerri who has just returned from the Under 25s Showdown World Championships in Prague, have a listen and let us know your thoughts in the comments! Follow Millie-Jayne on TikTok: @the.way.i.see.it Find out more about the Sheffield Strikers on TikTok: @sheffield_strikers_sd And on the web: srsb.org.uk/SRSB-Showdown Read more about showdown [...]
Blindness Awareness Month 2025 – A VICTA Changemakers Takeover
Celebrating Blindness Awareness Month 2025 with the VICTA Changemakers! The VICTA Changemakers are taking over the Student Portal throughout Blindness Awareness Month, bringing you the topics that matter to them - to spread awareness of what it's like living with a sight impairment, the reality, struggles and the triumphs. Whether you have a vision impairment yourself or are looking to learn more about living with sight loss, our team are here to share their stories to connect and inspire. With topics from accessible sewing, to sports and employability, there is something for everyone. Make sure you [...]
Scheme for Low-Income Disabled Writers
Are you a low-income disabled writer based in England? Are you looking for feedback from a professional Reader? Apply to TLC Free Reads! Deadline: Monday 15 September 2025, 11.59pm BST Shape Arts has partnered with The Literary Consultancy for another year to facilitate their Free Reads scheme which provides opportunities for professional feedback for low-income writers from underrepresented backgrounds. TLC, the UK’s leading literary consultancy, runs the scheme every year, helping hundreds of writers on to publication, but its main aim is to support writers developing their work and honing their writing craft [...]
Inclusive Voices short story competition for vision impaired young people
Celebrating Audio, Braille, and Community To mark HiVis Fortnight 2025, Calibre Audio is proud to relaunch the Inclusive Voices short story competition – a celebration of creativity, accessibility, and diverse storytelling. Whether you love to write poetry or prose, they're inviting entries from people of all ages and abilities. Craft a story of up to 550 words that includes at least one of our themes: Audio, Braille, and Community. Who Can Enter? Everyone is welcome! Calibre encourages entries from: People with print disabilities, including current and potential Calibre members. Budding writers of all ages, with or without a [...]
Top tips for making money and securing employment as a vision impaired person
Charlotte shares side hustles to try this summer holidays When I was a teen, many of my sighted peers at school were getting weekend jobs: stacking shelves, working as baristas, waiting tables. But as someone with no useful vision, none of those jobs were accessible. I ended up receiving Universal Credit which provided me with a small monthly income. It meant I could spend money on things like new clothes or eating out. Having said that, the whole application process was pretty laborious, and now that I look back, I wish I’d thought about other [...]
