Sarah’s perspective: What I wish people knew about sight loss

Meet Sarah Brandt. Sarah works as the PA to our Chief Executive Officer at Henshaws Sally Daniels. She’s also our Office Manager for our head office in Manchester.

Sarah has sight loss as a result of the eye condition Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP). Her guide dog Pepsi helps her get around independently, safely, and confidently.

Below, Sarah talks about her eye condition, and the misconceptions about sight loss that she wishes people were more aware of.

Sarah’s Eye Condition

Sarah has the eye condition Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP). The condition causes the breakdown of the cells in the retina, leading to progressive sight loss.

Sarah was 25 years old when she received her diagnosis. Ten years later, her ophthalmologist broke the news to her that it was no longer safe for her to drive. This is something she’d always feared would happen since receiving her diagnosis, and she describes the moment it became a reality as a ‘massive blow to her independence’.

Sarah is now 50 and has 4% of her vision remaining in her right eye. She has a small amount of central vision left that isn’t 100% clear, describing it as like she’s looking through a straw. In her left eye, she has no remaining useful vision.

Adjusting to sight loss

Sarah had been living in South Africa, but returned to the UK around eight years ago, in part because of the more accessible public transport system and the chance to be more independent and less reliant on others. She then started cane training and applied for her guide dog a few years later. She also accessed services provided by Henshaws, including our Digital Enablement Service. In 2022, Sarah started her role at Henshaws, and travels to our office using the bus and tram, with support from guide dog Pepsi, who is a favourite in the office.

Sarah, smiling and wearing reindeer antlers, hugs her guide dog Pepsi, a yellow Labrador.

Tackling misconceptions

For Sarah, the biggest challenge she faces as a person living with sight loss is public misconceptions.

Mobility aids don’t always mean total blindness

Sarah wishes that more people were aware that just because you have a guide dog, it doesn’t mean you can’t see anything. Only 7% of blind people can’t see anything at all.

For Sarah, this lack of awareness makes her feel self-conscious of using her phone in public, because people may be judging her, or think that she doesn’t need a guide dog if she can read her phone. There have been instances where people have thought she’s training the dog. One person also assumed she must be able to see because she was looking around.

Pepsi, a yellow Labrador, sits on a cushion in front of a decorated Christmas tree.

You don’t need to worry about how you speak to blind people – just ask!

Sarah has found that since using her guide dog, people treat her differently. For example, if she asks if there’s a seat on the bus or tram, people will sometimes not answer, because they feel awkward and don’t know what to say, so they don’t say anything. She understands that not everyone may know how to support a blind person – all they need to do is ask!

Getting my guide dog, I felt like I was ‘coming out’ as a blind person because I wasn’t really using my cane much and then suddenly, I had this massive beacon that said, ‘I’m a disabled person’. Straight away people start treating you differently.

Sarah and Pepsi, who wears her guide dog harness, outside in front of a large telescope structure.

One of the things Sarah loves most about working for Henshaws is that staff know how to support her and make sure she’s included. Things that she may have to ask people to do, for example tell her where they have put her drink if they make one for her, and introduce themselves when entering a room so she knows who is there – she doesn’t have to ask people at Henshaws to do as they do these things automatically.

Vision levels can vary

Sarah also wishes that more people knew that for some blind people, their level of remaining vision can vary. A bright day means she might not be able to see her computer screen. Tiredness and feeling anxious also affect Sarah’s vision.

Sight loss and winter

For Sarah, winter is the hardest time of year. She can find  it stressful getting to work in the morning and getting home, feeling she has to rush before it gets too dark. The winter can make her feel more anxious and exhausted by everything.

Gratitude

Sarah says that you have to focus on the opportunities you get and count your blessings.

I’ve got a strong support network; I’ve got my husband and son and family around me and a great job that supports me.

Representation matters

Sarah is a huge fan of Strictly Come Dancing. She really enjoyed watching Chris McCausland, blind comedian who also has RP, on the show during the 2024 series. Chris’s participation in Strictly has been good for raising awareness, and for disabled people to be seen integrated into society. Chris went on to win the series and lift the glitter ball.

I think it’s really important for people to see those with disabilities integrated into society and that they’re just normal people that have something that doesn’t work. One little thing doesn’t define them.

However, Sarah acknowledges that there is still a long way to go for blind people to be fully understood. There needs to be more awareness of what they are capable of and the challenges they face, and how best to support and accommodate people with sight loss.

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