Behind the blog – A VIP’s blogging experience
By Elin Williams In the last few years, blogs have become one of the most popular innovations in the online world with people of different genders, ages, abilities and interests taking to a blog to share their stories, passions and opinions. This has also been the case for many vision impaired people, myself included, and I receive many questions about how I started my blog as well as how accessible I find the process of blogging and sharing content through social media. I established my blog, My Blurred World, in April 2015 to share my experience of living with a [...]
Thailand Adventure with VICTA
I consider myself lucky to be well travelled. But this is only with family. Destinations and attractions have been numerous, but I have always craved something else; to travel with friends, peers, and experience richer, local cultural experiences than traditional family holidays deliver. Though I have many sighted friends through university, beyond hiking across the UK with friends from the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Group, opportunity to enjoy any travel like this and with my own friends has been allusive. Finally in 2017 I graduated from university – an extremely testing, and sometimes very dark time in my life [...]
My university experience during lockdown
By Ibraheem Iqbal A stressful storm Hi, I’m Ibraheem. Currently a first year university student studying Psychology at the University of Liverpool. Well, I should be in my second year, but COVID happened. Let me take you back to the beginning, March 2020. All university students were told that studies would continue at home. To some this brought joy, to others confusion and although I can’t speak on behalf of everyone, from my encounters, most were pretty stressed out. Most students I spoke to adjusted to this ‘online’ method pretty fast. I mean attending a lecture while lying in [...]
Accessing the ‘true’ university experience by Idil Serce
Deciding to go to university can be a daunting thought for all students but especially for those of us who are visually impaired. From the process of applying to university to balancing the demands of student life and study, it can be a roller coaster for all but none more than the VI student. And on occasions I was overwhelmed. But I found ways of coping and put strategies in place that allowed me to enjoy my time at university and graduate with a first class honours degree. Take my advice, make the most of all of your experiences [...]
Gaining new skills and confidence through the Infinity Pilot Project
After taking part in this unique project provided by The British Exploring Society (BES) and The Jubilee Sailing Trust (JST) Roesie and her mother Angela were interviewed regarding her experiences: How and why did you hear about the Infinity programme and BES? Roesie - I saw it advised on the VICTA website, literally by chance. What thoughts and feeling did you have when you first signed up? (i.e. anxious, nervous, excited) Roesie - I was terrified, I was not confident at all. Angela (Rosie’s Mother) – Roesie can loose confidence, she has high levels of anxiety What were you [...]