A Northern Ireland student, who was registered partially sighted from an early age, has opened up about growing up with sight loss here.
Nathan Hood, 20, has shared his story as part of a new campaign by the RNIB (the Royal National Institute of Blind People) called ‘See the person, not the sight loss’, which is challenging outdated public attitudes and misperceptions of sight loss.
Nathan, who is from Banbridge and is currently studying at Ulster University, has shared his concerns in terms of living with a condition affecting his sight here in Northern Ireland.
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‘How do you know when you have your period?’, ‘How do you look after your children?’, ‘Can your guide dog read bus numbers?’ - these are some of the obscure questions many blind and partially sighted people get on a regular basis.
At the heart of the new RNIB campaign sits an emotive and thought-provoking film, telling the story of Ava, a fictional teenage girl who is coming to terms with losing her sight.
It highlights the impact that losing her sight has on many areas of her life, from education to relationships. Most crucially, the film demonstrates how sight loss can impact mental health as well as physical health.
“As someone who’s sight issues are congenital, my experience is slightly different from Ava’s in that I didn’t go through that grief of sight loss, but that feeling of standing out, being different, and the anxieties of that, particularly as a young student, I can certainly relate to,” Nathan explained.
“I have myopia and nystagmus, which means I’m very short sighted and particularly sensitive to light. I remember in primary school I really wouldn’t have been participating in any sport like football as I couldn’t keep track of the ball. I did okay in British bulldogs but then sure they had to ban that!
“It did create a sense of isolation. It was particularly through the RNIB that I was able to develop friendships by meeting other people with sight loss, outside school. It was that one place I felt I could talk to people and they understood and wouldn’t find me annoying. That really boosted my confidence, to bring back to all spheres of life.”
Nathan added: “I’m currently in my third year at university living up in Coleraine and have no problem talking to anyone now. There would be small things like when meeting up with someone, am I going to miss them if I don’t see them, but my more present anxiety now is of ‘what can I do with my life, what would I like to do – work wise and will employers be understanding of my sight?’
“That’s what I think is great about the new RNIB ads. After she comes to terms with her sight loss, Ava is getting on with her life, hanging out with friends, still doing ‘me’ things, learning ways round things, she’s getting a job. All those things anyone wants. And I hope it helps people see people with a visual impairment differently.”
Research commissioned by RNIB amongst blind and partially sighted people has revealed that for those who lost their sight, or already had a visual impairment, during their teenage years – worries about being able to go out with friends and socialise was a big source of anxiety.
On top of the common challenges and pressures of being a teenager, visually impaired teenagers also have the added worry of the impact on being able to access information and how that in turn may affect their education and future careers. Over a third (35%) are worried about how they were going to finish education and get a job.
In addition, over a third of blind and partially sighted people said that they wished that sighted people would stop asking them how many fingers they are holding up to check if they can see or not.
Robert Shilliday, RNIB Northern Ireland Director, said: “At RNIB, blind and partially sighted people often tell us that they wish other people had a better understanding of what it means to be living with a vision impairment, and we know that by making sometimes small changes to their behaviour, people can help to create a more equitable world for anyone affected by sight loss.”
RNIB is hosting a ‘Reversing The Trend’ employment event in Belfast City Hall on 24 November - for any professionals interested in helping improve access to employment for blind and partially sighted people here in Northern Ireland. You can register via Eventbrite, or email rosie.edge@rnib.org.uk.
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