Our hair workshops continue with Anna Cofone
Written by Monique Richards, VICTA Intern Tuesday 2nd of August was the second hair and care workshop with Anna Cofone, an international session hairstylist working on big name editorials, advertising and film with stars such as Dua Lipa and Lana Del Ray. The workshop was held in the same location as before in East London which made it easy to navigate to. In the workshop Anna briefly went over the topics we covered in the last workshop for the benefit of the new participants who did not attend the previous session. We all had our brushes and combs laid [...]
Monique’s art gallery
My name is Monique. Here is some of my art work I have created over the years. I’ve always been an artistic individual from a very young age. I started really honing in on my art more seriously when I took the subject for GCSE in school. In these classes I learnt different techniques and mediums of art I could work in. I don’t think that having a visual impairment restricts my ability to do art. I believe that having differences encourages individuality that makes someone’s art unique and stand out. Left: Pencil drawing [...]
Success – A poem by Mahalia Creft
By Mahalia Creft Success The tedious wait for the payoff of hard work to finally fall through. Accessed only from a path of constant failure, winding round and round on itself. This path is long, with rocks and stones that jut from the earth, Digging their teeth into the soles of your feet. You stumble, then you fall onto the dirty, dusty floor, Hands above your head, legs sprawled out on the ground. You get up, even though the constant fear of rejection and failure hangs over you like a cloak, dragging you down, wanting you to settle [...]
I Can and I Will – A poem by Grace Hill
By Grace Hill I Can and I Will I can and I willClimb that hillI might be scaredBut I will get thereWith my courage and prideAnd a guide by my sideI can and I will. I can and I willClimb that hillI fear the heightBut I'll be alrightGripping onto my caneI will push through the rainBecause I can and I will. I can and I willClimb that hillI'm frightened to fallBut I can still have it allWe all can flyIf we spread our wings and tryI can and I will. About Grace... [...]
Kissing the sky: How Kiss FM makes me feel like anything is possible
By Grace Hill What does 'no limits' mean to you? For me, it means finding something special in amongst the challenges you face. A piece of magic that makes you feel like you can achieve anything, whether that's in reality or in your dreams. If you're expecting the story of a blind girl who has climbed Mount Everest or won the Paralympics, get ready to be disappointed. Because, if I'm being brutally honest, I find it very hard to pair the concept of 'no limits' with my vision impairment because I'm scared of becoming a cliché. I don't [...]
Pushing through your limits – my return to goalball
By Jack Tomlin I recently joined Winchester Goalball team. I have loved goalball since I was 11 and was a passionate member of my school team, but when I left school, I also left goalball. I missed the sport and the friendships that came with it and this year, I knew I wanted to join a team. I got in touch with Winchester and decided to attend their next training session. My excitement soon turned to apprehension when I realised that I would have to get the train by myself, with a change at a busy station. Like [...]
Flying above the limits: My first solo trip!
By Natalia Foster If you had told 14-year-old Natalia, that in six years’ time she would be flying 3,500 miles to meet an internet friend, I think she would have stared at you with fear in her eyes and shaken her head as if to say, ‘No way.’ But, in those six years so much has changed, and I have (somehow) found myself on a transatlantic flight heading towards Toronto. As it is, this isn’t an easy thing to do; but doing something this big with a lack of sight creates a whole array of things to consider [...]
Beauty for the Visually Impaired
By Mahalia Creft My journey with makeup has been somewhat of a rocky one. As a young child, makeup seemed to be that thing that I would just never pick up or get good at. In fact, I began renouncing makeup, in the name of defiance. To learn to do makeup always seemed like such a hard feat. One of the ways in which my visual impairment affects me, is that I am unable to move my right eye outwards, so when applying makeup, I am unable to see a large portion of the right side of my face. [...]
No limits lifestyle – White water kayaking blind
By Sam Roberts Hi everyone, my name is Sam Roberts and I am a Young Ambassador for VICTA. I live what I call a 'no limits lifestyle' where I tell myself every day that there is nothing we can’t achieve, the only person that is stopping you from reaching your goals is yourself. Over the last six months I have been working hard on progressing my white water kayaking skills, with the ambition of taking on the white water of the River Dee. No limits means pushing your boundaries, reaching further than you’ve ever reached before and never [...]
Unstoppable – Clubs & activities for VI young people, By Erin Wynne
(Picture: Black and white action shot of Erin show jumping) By Erin Wynne, age 16 Do you believe that being visually impaired means a fabulous and fulfilling life is off the table? That visual impairment stops us from having fun and being active? Well, I can tell you for a fact it doesn’t. Here’s what I’ve learnt. Misconceptions So many parents believe/are told that their visually impaired (VI) and blind babies won’t have a good life; that they won’t be able to do a lot of activities or have independence. My parents were devastated when they [...]
