Experiencing Live Theatre as a Blind Person
How do I enjoy theatre as a blind person? Theatre, along with TV shows, art, movies and a large variety of mainstream entertainment, is often viewed as inherently visual and therefore, not something you would expect a blind person to engage with. I have experienced many moments where someone will ask me what I enjoy watching, then catch themself and immediately apologise. However, musical theatre is something that I love engaging with, even though I can’t see what is happening onstage. There is so much to enjoy aside from the flashy costumes [...]
Falling into Freedom – skydiving completely blind
Millie reflects on her skydive! On 22 July, I jumped out of an aeroplane from 15,000 feet — completely blind. There are some things in life that, when you tell people you’ve done them, they immediately ask the same question: “But how?” Skydiving is probably one of them. For me, there was an additional question. “How did you skydive when you can’t see?” The answer is actually quite simple. I trusted. On 22 July, I took part in a skydive from 15,000 feet to raise money for SRSB — the Sheffield Royal Society for the Blind, [...]
Navigating two worlds at once
VICTA Changemaker Jerri discusses what life is like as a vision impaired carer. I’ve always felt like I was born into a world that wasn’t made for me. I was born visually impaired due to cortical visual impairment, and as a child, the world around me often felt daunting. I had so many questions about how I would cope growing up. But alongside learning to navigate the world as a visually impaired child, I was also navigating another world at home. My mum lives with bipolar disorder, and from a young age I became her carer. I [...]
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% [...]
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 [...]
My Experience of Sailing as a Blind Person
When you hear the word sailor, what kind of person comes to mind? When I first heard about a sailing week organised by the Sailing Vision Trust for visually impaired people last year, I imagined sailing as a physically demanding, highly visual, and inaccessible sport. I thought about the challenges: moving around the boat, steering it, and navigating safely. It felt impossible for someone blind like me. But I still wanted to give it a go, and I soon discovered how wrong my first impression was. Taking the first step into the unknown I first came [...]
Are Meta Glasses worth it?
Hey Meta - these glasses have changed everything As a gadget girlie, I love anything AI-driven. So when I recently found out about Meta glasses, I knew I had to try them. What I didn't realise was just how much they were about to change my life. They have transformed my independence, allowing me to do things I never thought I would be able to do without sighted assistance. And so I figured I would share my experiences in this post for Blindness Awareness Month. What are Meta Smart Glasses? Created by Meta (the same company that owns [...]
