Ambassadors
Chris Owen - Berkshire Vision Ambassador
Chris Owen is 43 and lives in Reading with his family. He works for BMW Financial Services in IT project management and business analysis, looking after the finance contract management systems. His professional background includes previous roles in various utilities and telecoms companies.
In 2018, during a routine eye test, a concern about Chris’s vision arose. Subsequent tests, including a visit to Moorfields Eye Hospital, led to the diagnosis of an extremely rare form of Macular Degeneration known as Cone Dystrophy, affecting only 1 in 30,000 people. Initially, the condition had minimal impact on Chris’s life, but in 2020, his vision began to deteriorate, culminating in becoming ineligible to drive one week after his 40th birthday.
Since then, his sight loss has rapidly progressed, and in December 2021, Chris was officially registered as Severely Sight Impaired. Throughout this challenging journey, BMW Financial Services has been highly supportive, working with Chris to ensure he can continue performing his job effectively. Together, they’ve worked on making workplace and system adaptations to enhance accessibility for everyone, regardless of individual needs, including aspects such as HR processes and understanding Access to Work.
Outside of work, Chris finds solace in walking, using it as a means to disconnect from the daily grind, reset, and focus on his mental health and well-being. Although his sight loss can make this challenging, Chris uses adaptations such as a guide dog and a long white cane to take long walks, allowing him to experience and enjoy the world.
He loves to combine his love of walking with fundraising, most recently trekking the length of the Pembrokeshire Costal Path in seven days, raising an incredible £5000 for Berkshire Vision, the charity that has supported him as his sight has deteriorated. Berkshire Vision’s Sight Loss Support Officer has aided Chris in adapting to his condition, ensuring his home is adapted to meet his everyday needs. He has also been able to carry on his love for playing football by attending Berkshire Vision Blind Football sessions.
Eager to give back, Chris volunteers regularly for Berkshire Vision, supporting local events, educating scout groups and schools, and speaking at employability workshops about his experience working with a visual impairment. He also shares his insights on living with sight loss with groups at BMW Financial Services, running sessions using Simulation Spectacles to demonstrate various sight loss conditions.
Chris is available to talk to businesses and organisations about his sight loss, working with a visual impairment and Berkshire Vision, a charity dedicated to supporting individuals in Berkshire who are blind or visually impaired.
Contact clare.matthews@berkshirevision.org.uk to find out more.
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Jonathan Charmley - Berkshire Vision Student Ambassador
Jonathan is an Archaeology student at the University of Reading.
Originally from Guernsey, he was drawn to Reading Uni by his ongoing passion for telling stories of history. Archaeology has given him a chance to forge a more personal connection with historical lives, with artefacts giving an insight into the everyday workings of societies throughout time.
Issues started with Jonathan’s sight in January 2021, after he noticed that the vision in his left eye wasn’t quite right, but the pandemic meant he found it difficult to get a check-up. Eventually in March, he was referred to an ophthalmologist, who revealed the shocking news that he had developed a brain tumour. Within 11 days, Jonathan was in surgery.
To add to this whirlwind experience, during Jonathan’s second procedure his ‘third nerve’ was clipped, meaning he lost motor function of his right eye. All this happening during the second year of his degree meant that Jonathan had to take a couple of years out to recover and adapt to his visual impairment. After 6 weeks of radiotherapy, the tumour is now in remission and Jonathan has taken his sight loss in his stride.
Now back at Uni, he’s become something of a “sight loss ambassador”, raising awareness and sharing his experiences with others.
As part of this field studies module, Jonathan decided to showcase his experience of the digs as a blind person. Berkshire Vision provided sight loss simulation glasses, which he then gave to his tutors on one of the sites. This was an eye-opening experience for them, allowing an insight into Jonathan’s experience of the excavations.
Jonathan has also been helping local organisations to make themselves more accessible to those with a visual impairment, as well as giving talks at cub and scout groups.
In his student ambassador role Jonathan will be doing more of the same, helping to raise awareness of sight loss and Berkshire Vision in Reading.
Jonathan is available to provide insight into living as a visually impaired person, and also talk to scout, cub or school groups.
Contact clare.matthews@berkshirevision.org.uk to find out more.
