Life as a blind refugee

Imagine having to flee for your life, arriving in a country where you don’t know anyone and having nowhere to live. Now imagine doing it and being blind. 

That is the reality for J*, a blind asylum seeker from West Africa. He made a desperate escape from his home due to death threats and attacks, a heart-breaking decision as he left behind his wife and four children. He is currently awaiting a decision on his status from the Home Office, but this could take up to two years.

J has been blind since birth and sees no colours or light and dark. He arrived in the UK in December 2021, and is now in temporary accommodation in Slough. When J arrived in Slough (having been previously housed in Farnborough) he struggled to navigate a new accommodation and local area, with food shopping and everyday tasks a real struggle. Luckily the council assigned him a ROVI (Rehabilitation Officer Visual Impairment) who helped him to get a white cane, arranged for carers to help him with cooking and cleaning and referred him to Berkshire Vision.

Helen, our Sight Loss Support Officer met with J to assess his needs and reassure him that we would help him. His key need was help getting equipment and technology that is adapted for those that are blind, so he could stay in touch  with his family back home. He was also feeling quite isolated and alone being stuck in his one room accommodation.

Phill from our Equipment team met with J to help to identify the best equipment to suit his needs, and with Helens help started to apply for grants on J’s behalf to help cover the cost of a sim card, kitchen equipment, a braille watch and a laptop.

This has not been easy as most grants are only available to British citizens and Helen and Phill are still trying to seek funds to cover the costs of some of this equipment. To help with his everyday needs, Helen referred J to Slough Outreach for weekly food parcels and The Cowshed for some new clothes. Helen has also been helping J get out and about in the community to reduce his reduce isolation. He has started to attend our Slough Activeyes group, which has helped him make new friends with other people who are visually impaired. Helen has also helped J complete the membership form for Slough Community Transport, which will help him get out more independently. This support has made a huge impact on J’s life and he is feeling much more positive about the future.

He is also keen to study and seek work once he has the right permits and status. With this in mind he attended one of our recent Employability courses, where he was able to find out more about accessible and adaptive technology and job seeking skills. He is now exploring a possible opportunity to do a masters degree at Reading University.

 * To protect J’s identity we have blurred his photo and used his initial.