Disability – Page 26 – Well Eye Never

Guide Dog Access Denials

I don’t have a guide dog, because I can see well enough not to need one. But I have many friends who do use them, and I would certainly consider applying for one if my sight ever deteriorated to a level where it might be useful. They are the most beautiful and amazing animals, and I have a lot of respect and admiration for them, and for those who train and use them. They aren’t just pets, they’re a real lifeline to their owners, enabling so much freedom and independence.

And yet, sadly, there are still people out there who don’t understand or respect guide dogs or the blind people who need them – something which has, yet again, become clear in the past few days.

Growing In Confidence

Today I wanted to look back at how my confidence has developed over the years, after a difficult start. At home it’s never been a problem – my parents are both visually impaired, so they and my relatives have always been understanding and supportive from the outset. But away from the family, it hasn’t always been as easy. I’ve also made a video about my school days which relates closely to this post.

No Offence

One of the things that some non-disabled people find surprising about me is that I’m not easily offended, and that I’m more than happy to make jokes at my own expense. I touched on that point fleetingly in my previous post, but I wanted to go into it a little more.

The Language of Visual Impairment

Today, through a link on Facebook, I saw an old blog post called Mind Your Language on the Action for Blind People website. It’s an interesting analysis of the type of language used to describe people’s disabilities.

I personally describe myself as ‘visually impaired’ or ‘partially sighted’, as it succinctly describes what I am (and I am registered as ‘partially sighted’ with my local council).

Living With Nystagmus

Following on from my previous post about Aniridia, I want to use this post to talk about another condition I have – Nystagmus (specifically Congenital Nystagmus, meaning I’ve had it since birth, as I have with Aniridia).

As mentioned in my Aniridia post, I’ve had my visual impairments all my life, so I’m used to them and have adapted to them. They certainly haven’t stopped me living a happy and successful life – and others deal with it very well too, including TV’s Richard Osman. So these posts aren’t intended to be negative. I just want to describe the main effects they have on me.

I’ve also made a video about living with the condition, which may help to explain things further.

Living With Aniridia

There are 2 conditions I’ve had since birth – Aniridia and Nystagmus – and I’ve written a post about each one. They can be frustrating and awkward sometimes, but because I’ve had them all my life, I’m used to them and have adapted to them as best I can. And they haven’t stopped me living a happy and successful life. These posts aren’t intended to be negative. I just want to describe the main effects they have on me.

So in this post, I’m going to discuss Aniridia. I’ve also made a video about it which you may find of interest.

Journal – January 2016 (Guernsey Holiday)

So here we go with another year – hopefully my final one in Devon, as we feel determined to make the move to London happen now after all the delays.

But to start with, 2016 has got off to a fun start, because I’ve visited my best mate in Guernsey again, the first time I’ve seen him since I was Best Man at his wedding last September. These are my first journal entries since that event, as there was nothing else of interest to write about for the last few months of 2015.

So I hope you enjoy reading about my little holiday – including an awkward bus trip, the latest Star Wars film and a games night, among other things – plus a few other updates.

Journal – September 2015 (Guernsey Best Man)

This month has seen a big event that I’ve been looking forward to for a while – my best mate’s wedding in Guernsey, where I was one of two best men with his cousin. It was a wonderful occasion in a beautiful location, and it’s the first time I’ve given a public speech as well. So this post is mainly about that, but I also met another friend the week before, I’ve posted my first ever vlog on Youtube, and there have been one or two things to mention from home too.

So I hope you enjoy going through everything here, including some of the photos and video footage that I was able to capture on my new iPhone 6, and a few other photos that people took of me.

Interacting With Disabled People #EndTheAwkward

This post relates to a video I’ve recorded for Scope’s End The Awkward campaign, giving advice about interacting with disabled people. Scope explain things far better than I do – I’m just giving my own perspective on things here – so I strongly suggest looking at their website and videos. But I hope you enjoy my post on the subject as well.

In general you just need to be friendly and respectful, and treat each disabled person as a person first and foremost, just like you would with anybody you meet. Don’t make assumptions about how they feel or what they can do, be tactful about any questions you ask so you don’t get too personal, and offer to help instead of forcing it on them. And don’t worry if you do make an innocent mistake. These things happen. Nobody’s perfect, and nobody’s expecting you to be. We do understand if you feel awkward around us – all we want to get across is that you don’t need to feel that way. 🙂

Journal – January 2013 (Hereford Weekend)

After all the travelling to London over the previous couple of months, I’ve just been away again, but this time to Hereford with a friend. We went to see her partner – the same guy I went to see Jimmy Carr with last summer – as she didn’t want to travel up there alone. So I had a nice little weekend away, and I hope you enjoy reading about it!

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