“Berkshire Vision has helped me build up a community of people who understand my situation”.

Sarah is a former English and Drama teacher, as well as Civil Servant, who took a while to come to terms with her visual impairment. After her friend introduced her to Berkshire Vision, Sarah has regained her confidence to try new things, and has formed a supportive community of people who understand and care for her.

After an intercranial haemorrhage 12 years ago, life-saving surgery meant a large portion of Sarah’s left brain was removed and her optic nerve was damaged.

Part of her journey to recovery meant coming to terms with the impairments that this surgery had left her with. Now living with aphasia and prosopagnosia, – both life-altering conditions by themselves- it took her a while longer to realise that her vision had been impacted too.

Going from roles in school environments, as well as her role in Civil Service, where communication and facial recognition are essential aspects of the job, to now coming to terms with the impacts of her brain injury- Sarah’s life felt like it had turned upside down. She had also finished writing a book just eight days before her haemorrhage, and now was left unable to publish it due to her extensive surgery and the impacts it had left on her.

On top of this, she was also coming to understand that her haemorrhage had also led to sight loss. One moment where she realised her vision was impacted, Sarah was determined to prove to her nurses that she was able to cross the road independently, but she did not see a car that was speeding down the road. Breaking down, she was upset for not being observant, however on reflection she was being as observant as her visual impairment would allow for.

Sarah now understands that she has issues with her peripheral, as well as having a time gap with her vision- meaning something may have already happened before she sees it.

Formally an English teacher, a passionate reader, and a writer, the combination of impairments that Sarah now suffers with rendered her former livelihood inaccessible. Feeling isolated and confused, a friend from her aphasia group introduced her to Berkshire Vision’s Living Well with Sight Loss course.

“After attending Living Well with Sight Loss, I felt ready to embrace the fact that things are possible for me”.

Sarah started considering adaptations that could help her reconnect with her interests. While she sometimes finds audiobooks difficult to access due to her aphasia, Sarah has joined Berkshire Vision’s online book club and enjoys the sociable and supportive community that is empathetic to her condition.

She’s also looking forward to an upcoming theatre trip with Berkshire Vision, which will allow her to experience the stage in a more accessible way and help her to get back in touch with her passions for drama and literature.

Coffee mornings, too, have been essential to Sarah, giving her the chance to get out of the house and socialise with a community of people who understand where she’s coming from and the things she’s struggling with. She’s looking forward to having more of that support and empathy as her confidence grows and she begins to try new things again.

Sarah has also benefitted from help from the equipment and technology at Berkshire Vision. Having moved house to help care for her aunt, she found the process of relocating while visually impaired to be a challenge. Derek (A Berkshire Vision volunteer Tech Buddy) has been super supportive, helping with WiFi and lighting setup, allowing Sarah to get settled in her new home.

Beginning to explore her interests again, Sarah has recently revisited her passion for singing. Something that comes naturally to her, singing gives Sarah something to focus on that doesn’t necessarily require sightedness. Berkshire Vision helped give her the boost of confidence she needed to carry on with her musical practice and has a few gigs upcoming. She is excited to look for more opportunities to pursue this passion of hers.

“Berkshire Vision is really important to me- it’s a safety net”

Sarah sees Berkshire Vision as a helping hand. She knows that if she calls up for whatever reason, the hard work of the Berkshire Vision team will help point her in the right direction or offer up a solution.

The conversation and community that BV provides have helped lift Sarah’s confidence, and friendships have opened opportunities that she didn’t believe were possible for her post-sight loss.

She is looking forward to attending more Berkshire Vision events in the future. She has also recently introduced one of her friends to the charity, being certain that the care and support of Berkshire Vision will be as transformative for her friend as it was for her.

Glossary

Intercranial haemorrhage- a bleed to the brain.

Aphasia- a communication disorder. This impacts the ability to understand and use language.

Prosopagnosia- commonly known as ‘face blindness’. A disorder which makes it difficult to differentiate between faces.