Meet Emily, a young person living with sight loss: “I’m more independent now than when I was sighted”
14 January 2014
My name is Emily, I am 25 and I live near Inverness. I lost my sight three years ago mainly due to diabetic retinopathy, but that was just the tip of the eye condition iceberg.
Before losing my sight I was an extremely independent young woman, living life to the full and never asking for help.
Then all of a sudden, I went from being able to see everything to looking at the world through a Vaseline-smeared window. Within six months I was reduced to being shepherded around and needing a constant companion.
Having initially been told by doctors that my sight would be recovered, I didn’t engage with services. However, after two years and several operations, the extent of the damage to my eyes was apparent even to me and I decided that enough was enough. I had to get back on my feet.
Life-Changing Technology
Learning about VoiceOver on the Apple products was practically life changing for me. Not only can I send messages to friends, access emails and surf the web, I no longer have to rely on others to download music from iTunes. Hereby saving me from any embarrassment relating to a particularly corny track I may or may not want to download. A new assistive technology that I find particularly ingenious is talking cash machines. This allows me to privately access my bank account simply by plugging a set of headphones in and following the audio instructions.
This year I’ve started to learn how to cook. Long gone are the days of heating up a microwave macaroni cheese! My slow cooker has to be one of the best gadgets ever invented. As a committed coffee connoisseur, the liquid level indicator allows me to indulge in my caffeine addiction safely.
Learning and Growing
My biggest obstacle currently is mobility and although I am building up my long cane skills, I lack confidence to leave the house on my own. However, I was recently approved for a guide dog and know that this will transform my life. Also at present I am being taught braille and how to use my new iMac and I hope to use these skills to return to education in the near future.
I think that in the grand scheme of things, I’m managing pretty well with independent living, but couldn’t have reached this point without the help of friends, family and my husband. In fact I would have to say that I’m far more independent now than I ever was when I was sighted. Maybe losing my sight has given me the kick I needed to get myself out there and make the most of life.
The road to independent learning and therefore independent living never ends.