'See Derry Differently' for World Sight Day

Community volunteers from the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) marked World Sight Day 2022 with a sight loss awareness raising day in the city.

The ‘See Derry Differently’ event was held in the Design Innovation Assisted Living (DIAL) Centre at the North West Regional College on Thursday.

One of the key speakers at ‘See Derry Differently’ was Derry City and Strabane District councillor, Michaela Boyle (Sinn Féin), who suffered sight loss as a child.

Speaking to Derry Now, Cllr Boyle said she was delighted to attend the event, along with all of the different elected representatives from across the political spectrum.

Cllr Michaela Boyle opening the 'See Derry Differently' event.

“It is great to see so much interest and people taking the time to come here today to become more knowledgeable and understanding of what it actually is like for someone who has sight loss or is visually impaired.

“I was given the opportunity to speak about my own experiences and not everybody will have the same experience when it comes to sight loss but for me, I think it is important for elected representatives, including myself, to have the full knowledge and understanding, particularly when we are making policy and regulations, around our towns and city centres, and what impacts on people.

“Covid threw up a lot of challenges for people with sight loss because people were dining outside and people experienced a lot of difficulties on the footpaths and pavements trying to navigate through tables and chairs and in some cases being put onto the road, in harm’s way.

“That is not what we should be about. We should be about protecting people and supporting them and supporting them in the challenges they face every day.”

Cllr Boyle also spoke about education, access to services and culture.

“It is very important for people with sight loss to live a full independent life and to get out and about and to meet people and not to feel isolated, so people with sight loss or visual impairment must be able to attend our venues and cinemas.

“We have to make a life for everybody that has visual impairment or sight loss, but people with all disabilities.

“We have to be inclusive for everybody around our city centres and towns and make sure we have the proper access to support communication and audio, which is very important for people with sight loss,” she said.

Cllr Boyle was introduced by Rory McCartney, who is partially sighted. Rory volunteers with RNIB as a visual awareness facilitator and co-organised the ‘See Derry Differently’ event.

“It was wonderful to be able to arrange an event like this,” said Rory, “and have so many people genuinely interested in coming along and learning more about living with sight loss.

“I have been volunteering for RNIB for a few years now, providing visual awareness training to businesses and services throughout the Foyle area and I find it so rewarding.

“I know through my own lived experience and from others I know with sight loss, a lot of challenges and barriers we face to equal access to society can be overcome by raising awareness and educating those who make the decisions and the wider public, on what it is really like to live with sight loss.”

Derry City and Strabane District councillor, Alderman Ryan McCready (UUP), was one of the participants in a guided walk around the city centre to See Derry Differently for World Sight Day.

Derry City and Strabane District councillors, Maeve O'Neill (PBP) and Ald Ryan McCready (UUP) on the guided walk.

Participants wore a blindfold or specialised glasses (sim specs) specialised glasses which simulated sight loss.

The walk was designed to provide a flavour of the challenges and frustrations faced by people who really live with sight loss as they navigate the streets of Derry every day.

On his return, Ald McCready, who wore a blindfold, said: “It was an experience! The first thing that struck me was the deprivation of sight. That sounds obvious but once your sight is removed, you become very fearful from that moment on.

“I had to trust my guide implicitly with my every step. From my experience, crossing roads was probably the biggest challenge. You do feel the bumps on your feet when you get there and then you wait for the signal box. And underneath the signal box we identified a small cone and that cone spins whenever it is counting down to when it is safe to use the crossing.

“Crossing the roads, even though it is saying you are safe to cross and you have got the guide, the feeling and the noise of vehicles nearby is very scary and after three or four minutes walking, I was completely disoriented. I am good with navigation and spatial awareness but after four or five minutes, I didn’t know exactly where I was.

“I also experienced someone who knew me who nipped me on the elbow and said, ‘Good to see you, Ryan’ and walked on, so I had no idea who it was, so that will remain a mystery. In terms of the streetscaping, there was an awful lot of temporary signage placed out in front of local shops and cafés and if I hadn’t had my guide, I would have bumped into all of them,” said Alderman McCready.

Ald McCready said the city’s streetscaping and infrastructure needs to be available for everyone, those who are partially sighted or have no sight at all

“It was an absolutely worthwhile experience,” said Ald McCready. “I would advocate anyone who sees someone with a guide dog or a cane, or if they can see that someone is partially sighted, say, ‘Hello’ and say you are beside them and don’t just be a brush of wind going past.

“Appreciate that they are part of society as well and don’t be shy or ashamed or embarrassed about putting your foot in it, rather than not at all.

“Mainly at the crossing points, I think a wee bit of reassurance if they are on their own or with a guide dog, if you are standing there for the 30 seconds, then speak to them and describe what you see around you and wish them a nice day.

“The guided walk was a valuable experience. I would recommend it, probably earlier throughout the education system because that then would breed inclusivity and would not make it a taboo issue where Cllr Boyle described her experiences about bullying, which was powerful,” said Ald McCready.

Speaking to Derry Now, Michael Joyce, who is member of the RNIB NI committee, known as the advisory and activities committee, said ‘See Derry Differently’ had been very useful as a focus for spreading the word about sight loss and visual impairment.

“There are still problems and they need working on in conjunction with a wide range of organisations but they are capable of being addressed. I am talking about the physical difficulties of getting around and moving around.

“But there are also advances and benefits which are coming along down the line. There is slow progress but things have changed a bit over the last 20 years and they are continuing to change, in favour of blind and partially sighted people.

“One example of this is the Eye Care Liaison officers (ECLOs) working at Altnagelvin Hospital and Omagh Hospital and the fact that hospitals and the Western Trust and the other health trusts are more receptive to facing up to the problems.

“I am finding that NHS treatment for partial sightedness is continuing despite all of the difficulties the NHS faces and I am very grateful for all of the work it does.”