Children & Young People
Joel: Accessing opportunities and gaining independence
Posted Apr 2026
Meet Quincy
Quincy is an amazing service user who our Children, Young People and Families (CYP) team has been supporting since 2024. She’s gotten involved in lots of different opportunities, from weekend and holiday activities, to completing the I Can Do It residential for older young people.
Quincy also attended the younger residential as a mentor to our younger service users, and did a wonderful job. She taught them skills that she had learned herself on the residential. She also encouraged them to advocate for themselves, and encouraged them to push themselves and to celebrate their own achievements.
What’s more, Quincy has shown great commitment to helping Henshaws. She created and sold her own handmade greeting cards as part of Henshaws Hundreds, raising a fantastic £248. She also took to the catwalk in the Style in the City fashion show, organised by the Insurance Institute of Manchester, which has chosen Henshaws as its Charity of the Year for 2025-2026. In 2024, she was part of our CYP choir that performed at our annual Carols By Candlelight concert at Manchester Cathedral.
As well as all this, for a few months in 2025, Quincy did work experience at our Head Office as she prepared for college, coming into the office once a week. Through work experience, she learned to travel independently on public transport, supported the CYP team with preparing resources for activities, developed her touch typing skills, and grew in confidence. As a result of work experience, Quincy shared with the CYP team that she is now feeling very positive about beginning her college journey and travelling independently too.
Below, you can read some of what Quincy typed during work experience. She typed the below over several weeks during June and July 2025. She introduces herself, describes her favourite activities, and shares her thanks for the support from Henshaws, including for a magnifier to help her read.
In Quincy’s Own Words
Introducing myself
My name is Quincy. I am 18 years old, living with my mum and my two sisters in Manchester here in United Kingdom. I am also vision impaired and I am looking forward to getting into college by September. I enjoy touch typing, watching movies and trying new activities.
Like I said earlier, I am VI. I feel good with the help and the support around me and getting support from organisations like Henshaws, and MSSS (Manchester Sensory Support Service).
Activities with Henshaws
I have done a lot of activities such as:
- bowling
- farm adventures
- Hide Out
- Art Zone
- kayaking
- fashion show
- singing
- work experience
Henshaws made me love playing bowling and I enjoy playing it. Henshaws introduced me to bowling and I love it.
All these activities that I mentioned are my first experience and I enjoy every bit of it in terms of meeting other people, communicating with other people and trying new things.
Hide Out
Hide Out is a place where you can do a lot of activities like basketball, art, climbing etc. There is a lot of things to do and participate in.
My experience about the magnifier
The magnifier helps me to read tiny text in a book, and makes it easier for me to read. I am very grateful for it.
The magnifier was given to me by Mark. I really appreciate it.
From Quincy’s mum, Happiness
A Very Big Thank You to All Henshaws Staff and Teams for all Support From Day One.
As for Quincy, my angel, she is now confident anytime she is outside, and makes new friends. I remember when Quincy came newly to the UK. She wasn’t confident to speak to people, but after joining Henshaws and a lot of activities, now Quincy can smile face to face with friends, and is getting ready for her big achievements being in college.
Quincy says a very big thank you to everyone at Henshaws. She enjoys all the activities.
Quincy’s Advice to Others
Quincy is passionate about encouraging others with sight loss to follow their ambitions. In this short video, she shares how Henshaws has supported her to grow in confidence and independence, and offers advice for anyone facing similar challenges.
The difference we make
Quincy has gained so much from the support of Henshaws. As shown above, She’s enjoyed a wide range of activities, and built up her independence and confidence.
As can be seen, her story shows the many ways our CYP team can make a difference. This includes offering fun and inclusive activities, helping young people develop vital life skills, and creating opportunities to take part in fundraising and events.
We’re incredibly proud of everything Quincy has achieved. She’s without doubt a shining example of how our support can help service users grow in confidence and flourish. We’re also delighted to share that she’s now started college, studying on a Routes To Skills course. Additionally, she’s travelling independently by bus to and from college, which is thanks in part to the support of our CYP team.
