Twenty-one young people, working with experts, have created an uplifting account of how to navigate key life transitions when living with a vision impairment.

In Today and Tomorrow; Living with Vision Impairment in the UK a group of 21 young people, working with academics at the University of Bath and Audiobook Productions, created personal chapters based on their experiences of important transitions such as moving home, starting secondary school, playing sport and advocating for yourself.

The authors come from all four countries across the UK and were aged 16-28 when they started working on the project, which was funded by The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association. As well as sharing their experiences, they offer practical tips and advice, and hope that it will be valuable guide for other young people living with vision impairment in the UK and beyond.

Tig Ellis, 20, from near Bath, movingly describes their experience of losing their sight. They said:

The process has had a significant impact on my confidence both in my writing and in my everyday life. Whenever I think of my involvement, it always makes me feel happy and proud. It’s always been a very difficult road with my sight loss as I never got the support I should have but this has made me feel empowered and far less lonely.

Seeing other young individuals with sight loss helps me to feel less like an ‘odd ball’ and also far more confident that I can do great things in my life. I know now that there are people out there who will listen to what I have to say and that’s made me feel like I can publicly speak without such fear of being dismissed.

It’s just been a real turning point and I’d like to extend my thanks to everyone involved. I’m so grateful for the opportunity and proud of what I’ve been a small part of!

Zein Al-Maha, 30, from Glasgow, discusses their experiences of meeting and bonding with their first guide dog. She said:

I was overjoyed to be asked to participate in such an important and exciting research opportunity. By sharing a piece of my journey as a Guide Dog owner, I am able to spread awareness about the journey with my guide dog Mitch and what it is like being a visually impaired academic.

On top of this, I believe this audiobook is going to break the invisible barriers we as visually impaired people with disabilities put on ourselves and help ease the transitions we go through. I hope this book brings people together and gives a sense of relief to those undergoing different transition stages of their lives.

The project grew from initial work at the University of Bath to engage with young people with vision impairments and collaborate on ideas for tools and resources to help others in the same circumstances.

Dr Karin Petrini, from the University of Bath’s Department of Psychology led the project. She said:

It’s really exciting to get to the point where we can release the audiobook, which is unique in being written and narrated by the young people themselves. Co-design, working with the young people to create something they felt would be really valuable for their peers, was absolutely critical for this project and we think we have something here which will work as a ‘handbook with a heart’ for others in similar circumstances.

Dr Katrina Tavoulari added:

It’s been a fantastic experience to be part of this project, we have been very fortunate to work with this group of exceptional young people and understand their experiences. We are so proud of the results, which offer a realistic but positive outlook and I hope it will help others with vision impairment, their families and loved ones, thrive, just as these inspiring young people are thriving.

Prof Michael Proulx noted:

In addition, this also provides an important opportunity to also raise awareness in sighted young people and help them understand the experiences of their peers with vision impairments. We are very grateful to all the people who have helped make this project happen and to our funders The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.

Today and Tomorrow; Living with Vision Impairment in the UK is available as a free audiobook on Spotify from November 29 2024. It will then become available on other platforms including Audible, and will also be available as an ebook on Amazon.