Blind Dancing | So you think you can’t dance?
VICTA Changemakers Blindness Awareness Month So you think you can't dance? That assumption is not strictly true! Today, 10 October 2024 is World Sight Day and also World Mental Health Day. And as part of Blindness Awareness Month, VICTA Changemaker Grace busts some myths around dancing when you are blind or partially sighted and the positive impact is has had on her mental health. Dancing is an incredibly visual art form, but it is also very inclusive, even if you live with a vision impairment. This is something I didn't think could [...]
AI tools for blind & visually impaired students | Blindness Awareness Month
VICTA Changemakers Blindness Awareness Month Artificial intelligence (AI), much like the internet, has become an integral component of our daily lives in recent years. Despite popular scepticism fuelled by mainstream media and misinformation on social networks, AI plays an important role in improving educational accessibility. Specifically, for blind and visually impaired learners, AI tools can significantly improve the learning experience by providing personalised assistance, increasing independence, and improving the accessibility of educational content. In this article, details are presented of various apps and websites that utilise AI to assist blind and visually impaired people, particularly [...]
University and work journey | Blindness Awareness Month
VICTA Changemakers Blindness Awareness Month My name is Bilaal Ali. I'm 21 years old and live in Sheffield with my family and I’m severely blind. I have a syndrome called BBS (bbsuk.org.uk) which affects my eyesight, overweightness and slight learning difficulty. Despite having this rare condition, I always work hard and am determined to not let anything get in my way of life and just carry on thriving. I’m an undergraduate student at Sheffield Hallam University studying accounting and finance. I’m currently on my placement year after completing the first two years [...]
Influential VI people through history | Blindness Awareness Month
VICTA Changemakers Blindness Awareness Month Hi everybody, I’m Rhiana and I’m partially sighted, with a number of different causes and variables. I am 20 and live in South West Wales. I have always had a love of history. I have enjoyed writing this article for you. It was so much fun to research new people, as I am a massive history fan. How many historical figures do you know with vision difficulties? Galileo Galilei was born on 15th February 1564 in Pisa. He was an astronomer, mathematician, physicist, and philosopher. He [...]
Blindness Awareness Month – A VICTA Changemakers Takeover
October is Blindness Awareness Month The VICTA Changemakers are taking over the Student Portal throughout Blindness Awareness Month, bringing you the topics that matter to them. 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! Starting tomorrow, make sure you stay tuned throughout October and sign up to email updates to make sure you don't miss a thing. We will also be sharing across VICTA's social media channels @VICTAUK, so like, follow and subscribe! Many [...]
Introducing the VICTA Changemakers
Introducing the VICTA Changemakers We're excited to introduce to you our team of VICTA Changemakers for 2024! Passionate about sharing their views on the topics that matter to young vision impaired people, they'll be bringing you their stories, videos, podcasts and more across the year. So watch this space and stayed tuned. It's time to meet our Changemakers, find out what they enjoy, what inspires them, and what they'd like to change about the world. Hi, my name is Lucy Booker Wilson... I have recently finished my A-levels in biology, chemistry, [...]
Be inspired. Park runs and marathons as a blind runner
Running or jogging is considered one of the best cardio exercises out there. Just 5-10 minutes a day can help to build strong bones and muscles, while lifting your mood and energy levels. For many, outdoor running can also decrease feelings of loneliness, isolation and depression. However, when you have a vision impairment, it's not as simple as just popping out for a quick morning jog on your own. So how can we enjoy the benefits of outdoor running while keeping safe? One answer to that question is guide running. The activity, which uses a ramble tag, enables [...]
Be inspired. VI art student Millie-Jayne’s digital art
Image description: A high contrast digital image. The background image is an abstract photo that has been flooded with colour - bright pink and dark grey, a person is just visible in the centre of the image. In the top-right corner a white flower is overlaid over the other image with transparency allowing the background colours to show through. In the bottom-left there is a blue image overlaid of a tulip with bright yellow accents. Braille dots have been overlaid over the image reading: 'Better to be blind and see with your heart than have two [...]
New opportunity – ITV Academy News Traineeship 2024-2025
The ITV Academy News Traineeship 2024-2025 is open for applications on the ITV Careers website. The link for more information and the online application form is: careers.itv.com/teams/media-entertainment/itv-news/itv-news-apprenticeship Applications Open: Monday 5th February 2024 Close: 23:59 Sunday 25th February 2024 There is an email box for any queries: newstraineeship2024@itv.com Trainee Video: Some of ITVs current and former trainees have contributed to a film about their experience on the traineeship: Additional info Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a 1 day online assessment centre on either 23rd, 24th or 25th April 2024. The traineeship will be 9 months, starting Monday 30th [...]
New opportunity – TPT online events to help you with transitions
Thomas Pocklington Trust have launched a series of online events to support you in approaching the key transitional stages of your education as a blind or partially sighted student Whether you’re in secondary school, attending college or sixth form, starting university or thinking about employability, they can provide you with the information, advice and support you need to move through mainstream education. The online events that will address three key topics to aid you in transitioning to the next stage of your education: #SocialEyes – socialising and social wellbeing #FutureVision – forward and future [...]
