Join blind artist & VICTA Changemaker Ruqaiya’s on a tour of her exhibition
Join VICTA Changemaker and blind artist Ruqaiya Asim for a tour of her current exhibition 'Can You See Me Now?' The exhibition is all about spreading disability awareness and sharing Ruqaiya's experiences of how she navigates the world as a blind person. Ruqaiya talks you through the features she's put in place to make sure her art is accessible for you to experience if you have a vision impairment. You can still catch 'Can You See Me Now' in person until 29 March Opening hours: Monday to Saturday, from 9 am – 5 pm. Location: [...]
VICTA Changemaker Ruqaiya’s Art Ehibition
Can you see me now? An Exhibition by Blind Artist Ruqaiya Asim. Ruqaiya is one of our fantastic VICTA Changemakers and is currently studying a BA in Fine Arts at University College London. She is also the winner of Cass Art Prize, People’s Choice Award 2024. A Tactile Journey Experience how I, as a blind person, navigate the world, break barriers, and challenge stereotypes. Let’s make the world more inclusive! On display between 1st – 29th March 2025. Opening event: Saturday, 1st March, from 11 am – 2 pm. Tea and coffee will be available. Opening hours: Monday [...]
Be inspired. Showdown players tell us how the sport that’s for everyone has helped their mental health
This #ChildrensMentalHealthWeek VICTA Sport wants to highlight that sport is for everybody and that sense of being part of something and supporting each other can have a really positive impact on your mental health. We chatted to Ellie, Millie, Al, Zehra and Sam, who have all come to showdown in different ways and at different stages in their sight loss journey, but can all agree on the fun, friendships and confidence they've built by giving it a go! Find out what showdown is, why you should give it a try, and how to find a team to play [...]
Young Achiever’s Poetry Win!
'My Special Eyes' by Young Achiever Dotty We want to say a huge congratulations to one of our Young Achievers, Dotty! Dotty recently entered a poetry competition through her school and was selected to have her poem published in the Young Writers Wonderverse anthology, Embracing Moments. We interviewed Dotty to find out more about her poem 'My Special Eyes'. Dotty wrote her poem in braille, and it was transcribed into print for the anthology. You can read Dotty's champion work below - well done Dotty! My Special Eyes I have special eyes They [...]
Changemaker Tegan: Creating a Blind Community on TikTok
How I raise awareness on TikTok Hi, I’m Tegan and I’m 19 years old. I was born blind and have very limited vision; I’m a brailleist and a white cane user. Alongside studying at university, I am a passionate activist. I used to be a member of the Welsh Youth Parliament and am now a proud VICTA Changemaker! I started making TikTok videos because I wanted to show people that being blind doesn’t hold me back, and that I can still achieve all the things I want to despite the barriers I face. In [...]
Pieces of Hope: a Playlist Diary of my Self-Discovery Journey
My Playlist to Self-Discovery In 2022 I wrote a piece accompanied by a playlist of songs and lyrics that help me 'spill brain' and communicate when things are getting a little too much. Since then I have written another piece about how I have finally been able to achieve my goal of taking up a dance class. This has proven an inspiring time of self-discovery for me. Without knowing, one of my dance teachers consistently chooses music that has turned the dancefloor into a space for me to take pause and connect with the world around [...]
Vision of Adventure Mailing List
Sign Up for the Vision of Adventure Opportunity Mailing List! Vision of Adventure exists to make adventure accessible to VI adults, and they offer lots of exciting courses and outdoor activities that you could join in with. If you'd like to stay up to date with their opportunities to either join courses or volunteer as a sighted guide, click the link below. Sign up here.
Christmas Competition Winners Announcement
We have our winners! To thank our avid readers and supporters of the VICTA Student Portal throughout 2024, we ran a competition to win 2 Amazon Echo Shows, courtesy of the British Wireless For The Blind Fund. We now have our winners! Congratulations to Charlie (11) and Ben (18) who will be receiving their prizes very soon. Thank you very much to everyone who entered. We had lots of entries and all of your comments were lovely to read through. Watch this space for future competitions!
Tactile Times Online Advent Calendar
Tactile Times are in the Christmas Spirit! Tactile Times have just launched their fully accessible, online advent calendar for the third year in a row. Are you tired of print advent calendars that just feel like...well...paper? This one is different. It is fully accessible with all major screen readers using a computer or phone, and you can access it with a BrailleNote Touch as well. You might even hear a few familiar voices along the way! You can visit it to open the first couple of doors right now. Tactile Times will have a new [...]
Christmas Competition Time!
COMPETITION NOW CLOSED. As a big thank you to our avid readers and supporters of the VICTA Student Portal throughout 2024, we are running a competition! Courtesy of the British Wireless For The Blind Fund, 2 of you could be in with the chance of winning an Amazon Echo Show! We have 2 Amazon Echo Shows up for grabs, and it’s easy to enter. You just need to follow two simple steps: 1. Comment on one blog post on the VICTA Student Portal From gardening to football, the Student Portal has lots of stories to interest [...]
