Guest Post by Holly, Life of a blind girl

Just like sighted people, blind people’s lives are completely different. No one’s lives are exactly the same regardless of whether you have a disability or not.

So what does a day in my life look like?

I wake up to an alarm on my phone, as for me, that’s the most accessible way of doing it. I try not to snooze my alarm and get up straight away but sometimes that’s easier said than done…

Once I’m up, I’ll get some breakfast. I usually have some cereal. I try to make sure that I know where everything is stored and always get annoyed when things are moved as I’m unable to find them!

I can tell the things that I need by the feel of the boxes, bottles, etc. If I’m struggling, then I’ll either use an app on my phone to help me identify the products or just ask a member of my family for some assistance.

Once I’ve had breakfast, it’s time to get ready for the day. As I have no useful vision, I can’t see outfits, so I memorise my clothing and go on the feel. I like to think that I have a good recollection of what goes with what.

Then it’s time to do my make-up…

“I like to think that I have a good recollection of what goes with what.”

For me, I do my make-up by the sense of touch and by memory, for example, I memorise how many times I need to apply my powder. I sometimes have to label my products as like many things, make-up products don’t have braille, some do have distinct packaging which can often make things easier.

I’ll then usually straighten my hair, it’s fairly straight anyway so it doesn’t need much. My straighteners actually beep when they’re ready so I know exactly when I can use them.

I work as an Assistive Technology Advisor at a university. I get a taxi to work which drops me off on campus.

Once I have arrived at work, I make my way to my office. I’m a long cane user, sometimes there’s obstacles so I have to make sure that I can navigate around them safely. I do walk into things sometimes but most of the time things go smoothly…

Once at my office, it’s time to start the working day.

I’ll check my emails, see what I have on for that day and that sort of thing. I use Jaws screen-reader on my PC and also on a laptop so that I’m able to do my job like my sighted colleagues.

My day can vary, I may have meetings, some preparation to do for workshops or some promotional material to make. If I have a meeting, I have to make sure that I know where the room is, if not, I have to make arrangements such as meeting someone beforehand. People are very accommodating and always helpful but it would be great if the campus had braille on all the doors so I wouldn’t have to do this.

Lunchtime soon arrives, I either take a packed lunch or heat something up in the microwave. The microwave isn’t the most accessible so I stuck a bumper on the time I need to use so that I can feel it.

Once I have had lunch and had a catch-up with some of my colleagues, it’s time to get back to work.

In the afternoon, I may have some training sessions, so I do some preparation for that and finish any other tasks.

Once I’ve finished work, it’s time to head home. I get a taxi home from work.

Once I’m home I sit down with my family to have dinner. I usually spend my evening doing a bit of blogging or any other jobs that I need to do. Sometimes I need to purchase things online, often websites can be inaccessible which can be rather frustrating. When I’ve finished all the jobs I need to do I’ll take some time for myself. I’ll watch some TV, listen to a podcast or read a book, and then head to bed.

There you have it. That’s what a day in my life looks like.

About the author: Holly is a disability and lifestyle blogger from the UK. She started her blog in 2015 to educate people on vision impairment and disability, tackle some of the common misconceptions surrounding these topics in order to raise awareness, help others in a similar situation and share her experiences of living with a vision impairment. Holly is registered as blind due to a condition called Retinopathy of Prematurity and has no useful vision. However, she doesn’t let her blindness stop her from living life to the full – she loves going to concerts and going out with her friends and family. Holly blogs at Life of a blind girl. She also connects with her readers on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

 Images courtesy of Holly © 2019

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