A Guide to using Passenger Assistance for the First Time
Growing up as a blind teenager, I had no idea how I would ever learn to travel independently. The thought of navigating huge stations and busy crowds terrified me. Then I discovered something called Passenger Assistance, and everything changed. A Quick History of Accessibility This year, the British railway is celebrating 200 years of passenger service. For a long time, the needs of disabled people were ignored. It wasn’t until the Disability Discrimination Act in 1995 that rail operators started taking their responsibilities seriously. Even today, there is still a lot of progress to make (only 56% [...]
Anti-Bullying Week – The Art of Being Seen
VICTA Changemakers Anti-Bullying Week 2025 The Art of Being Seen by Millie-Jayne As a blind artist myself, I wanted to write a story that captures how it feels to be seen for who you are, not just what people notice first. “The Art of Being Seen” is about finding courage through creativity and how using your voice, your art, or your story can become its own Power for Good. Sometimes the most powerful change begins quietly, with someone brave enough to share how they see the world in their own way. Story Rowan was used [...]
Anti-Bullying Week – The Rainbow Cane Short Story
VICTA Changemakers Anti-Bullying Week 2025 The Rainbow Cane by Millie-Jayne This story was written for Anti-Bullying Week and inspired by this year’s theme, Power for Good. It reminds us that being different isn’t something to hide, it's something to celebrate. For children, kindness often begins with curiosity and grows into understanding. The Rainbow Cane is a gentle story about a blind girl who learns that her difference can brighten the world around her one ribbon, one smile, one kind action at a time. Story Lila’s cane was white, just like every other one. It helped [...]
Anti-Bullying Week – My Power Through Misunderstanding
VICTA Changemakers Anti-Bullying Week 2025 Growing up blind, I faced a lot of misconceptions — people assuming I couldn’t do things just because I am blind. Those misunderstandings sometimes turned into bullying, both in person and online. When I started posting my makeup looks on TikTok as a blind MUA the trolling got worse. People would comment things like, “It looks like your Guide Dog did it” or “You’re faking your blindness”. But instead of letting it break me, I used it as my power. Every time someone doubted me, I pushed harder — tried [...]
Celebrating blindness awareness month on the radio
VICTA Changemaker Adam James presents the evening show on Cheshire’s Mix56 Monday – Wednesday 6-8. "I love radio and have been presenting for over 7 years presenting over 700 shows across three different stations. If I could change one thing in the world it would be designing cities for everyone – not just wheelchair ramps, but clear signage, better lighting, and spaces that are navigable for people with visual impairments too." To celebrate Blindness Awareness Month and help spread the word about how VICTA support children and young people, Adam invited Catherine and Emily from the [...]
Visiting attractions with a vision impairment
Hi everyone, my name is James. I’m 21 years old and I’m from Nottingham. I am registered partially sighted and have a genetic condition called Ocular Albinism which affects my iris, retina and optic nerve. In short, my eyes don’t have enough colour and my brain doesn’t get signals from my eyes fast enough. It also includes nystagmus which means my eyes move from side to side which I can’t control. I want to share what it’s like to visit attractions as someone who is visually impaired and what I do to navigate them, as well as showcasing [...]
YOU CAN’T LOOK BUT YOU CAN TOUCH
Below, Changemaker Amy shares her research into accessibility in museums and galleries across the UK, and how she conducted her own exhibition to combat some of these issues. For my Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), I organised an exhibition on making museums and galleries more accessible for people with a visual impairment (VI). I put on an accessible artefacts exhibition at The Royal National College for the Blind (RNC) showcasing historic artefacts from different periods. People would enter the exhibition wearing blindfolds and would then be able to touch the artefact rather than look at them. Beside [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
The Verses That Make Us: A Personal Journey Through Change
VICTA Changemakers Blindness Awareness Month By Ellie Wallwork In mid September, I stood on a stage with a band arrayed behind me, four pages of braille paper clutched in my hand. I'm an actor but I felt the most acute stage fright of my life, voice caught in my throat and knees shaking as if I had run a marathon. I didn't think the words would come - until I started to speak. I hadn't thought of myself as a poet. I used to tap words out on a keyboard when I [...]
