"It is still possible for blind and partially sighted people to go to matches and enjoy them”

“I have a condition called ischemic optic neuropathy (ION) which means blood doesn’t flow properly to my eye's optic nerve. Both of my eyes are affected, which results in my unpredictable vision. It often feels like my eyes are fighting to give me the correct image. Sometimes they get it right, sometimes it’s a strange interpretation of the image, and then other times they come up with nothing at all.

"I was diagnosed five years ago, and I thought it meant that I was going to lose my connection to the world. I was worried about whether I’d get any support. Then when I received my Certificate of Vision Impairment (CVI) from Moorfields Eye Hospital, I was registered as severely sight impaired. They told me what that meant and signposted me to RNIB, explaining that they would support me every step of the way.”

Help from RNIB

“Once I got in touch with RNIB, I was put onto the Living Well with Sight Loss course (LWWSL), which I did over the phone, and found very helpful. Then I was referred to the Counselling service, which was really helpful at the time, in understanding my feelings. RNIB also suggested that I speak to Guide Dogs about ‘My Guides’, a service where someone accompanies you out and about, for a cup of coffee and so forth. A few years ago, when I moved to Ipswich, I was then paired with a sighted guide. She built my confidence around getting public transport from where I live now into Ipswich Town centre, which was one of my main goals after moving there. After I became more confident, I started wondering what I could do to keep myself active. And that’s when I reached out to RNIB again, this time to become a volunteer.”

Volunteering with RNIB

I started volunteering for RNIB with the Community Connection team about four years ago. We went out and spoke with the general public to raise awareness of sight loss and different eye conditions. It’s important, because many people still believe that if you don’t wear dark glasses or carry a cane, you can’t have sight loss. Volunteering really helped to give me that extra confidence to get out and about, as I suffer from anxiety. It’s enabled me to meet new people instead of sitting indoors, waiting for the next minute to tick over.”

Accessibility in the football stadium

“I’m an Ipswich supporter and used to go to games with my older brother growing up. Later on in life, I didn’t go as often, as I worked in retail, meaning I was usually busy at the weekends. So, when I became severely sight impaired, I looked into becoming a season ticket holder, and reached out to the disability manager at the club, Lee Smith. He said that I was welcome to sit wherever I liked in the grounds and that they would provide me a companion ticket, alongside audio commentary, so that I didn’t have to bring a pocket radio with me.

"I also reached out to the ‘Senior Blues’, a programme funded by the Ipswich Town Football Club Foundation (ITFC Foundation) which leads wellness sessions for the older generation. The lady who organises the programme, Leanne Smith, said that although I didn’t meet the age criteria yet, due to my circumstances, I was welcome to attend. After half a year of attending these sessions, they invited me to be part of a short film highlighting the work that the foundation does in the community. And about a year later, when the club appeared on TV, they selected me to be involved then too. I walked out with the two teams and did televised interviews on the side of the pitch.

"There’s still a lot of work to be done to make football accessible. So, it’s important to raise the profile of people like me, who like to go to games. Because a lot of football clubs up and down the country don’t have the service that I’ve benefitted from. And my experience with Ipswich Town Football Club shows that it is still possible for blind and partially sighted people to go to matches and enjoy them, with the help of aids like audio description.”