Diana is a mother of four, a former professional chef, a craft enthusiast, and someone with an extraordinary story of resilience. Thirteen years ago, her life was upended when she lost most of her sight due to a rare condition called idiopathic intracranial hypertension. The pressure in her brain damaged the nerves behind her eyes, leaving her completely blind in one eye and with limited vision in the other.
At the time, Diana was raising four children and focused entirely on motherhood. “I think I was too busy grieving the loss of my sight to be able to want to do anything,” she reflects. “And then I was just busy being a mum.”
Though she reached out to Berkshire Vision soon after losing her sight, it wasn’t until years later that she felt ready to accept support. That decision, she says, changed everything.
Finding Purpose Again
Two years ago, Diana decided it was time for a change, so she reached out to Berkshire Vision. With their support, she enrolled at Reading College to study for her GCSEs, reigniting her confidence and sense of purpose. “They helped me get onto Reading College to do my GCSEs,” she says proudly. “That’s when I thought, This is it. I want to do something.”
That ‘something’ turned into a clear purpose: pursuing a career in counselling. With encouragement from Berkshire Vision’s employability team, particularly Jenna, Diana enrolled in and completed her first counselling course. She’s now actively looking to start a diploma-level qualification.
“It’s worked out really well,” she says. “Jenna’s been fantastic—she helped me get onto the course, and she also supported me in finding volunteer work.”
Building Confidence Through Volunteering
Diana now volunteers with a mental health and wellbeing charity run through Reading Borough Council. She helps lead workshops and provides peer support, gaining valuable experience while giving back to the community.
“It ties in perfectly with what I want to do,” she says. “It’s all helped build my CV and my confidence.”
A Network of Support
Diana has also attended several employability workshops through Berkshire Vision. One standout moment for her was hearing from companies that actively recruit people with sight loss. “It was so reassuring to hear from employers who actually want to take people like us on. You’re not just forgotten.”
She adds, “Having someone like Jenna going out and making those connections for us, that’s what makes the difference. Without that, I wouldn’t even know where to start.”
She also finds inspiration in others who work for Berkshire Vision, such as Dom, a visually impaired staff member. “It’s really encouraging to know that someone else with sight loss is doing this work. It shows it can be done.”
Looking Ahead
With her youngest child now 15 and her eldest 22, Diana is finally making space for herself again. She’s determined to keep learning and growing and hopes to turn her counselling ambitions into a fulfilling career.
For anyone considering reaching out to Berkshire Vision, she has simple advice: “Definitely do it. The support is amazing. I know if I need something, I can just call or email and someone will help me straight away.”