The new issue of the Henshaws Vision newsletter was released this week! I have a double-page feature detailing my sight loss and a typical day in my life as a visually impaired young person.
There is also useful information regarding cataracts, their symptoms and available treatment. You can view the newsletter scan and articles below!
Kimberley was born as a premature baby, suffering from cataracts that were overlooked until she was 4 years old. After it was discovered by a Specialist that she had cataracts in both of her eyes, she was forwarded to Great Ormond Street Hospital in London for operations to remove her natural eye lenses and replace them with plastic ones to eliminate the cataracts.
Unfortunately, the cataracts kept growing back behind her implants so the operations had to constantly be repeated. She had an Iridectomy to remove part of her iris to further help with the removal of the cataracts. Kimberley now has only a small amount of useful vision in one eye.
A Day in the Life of Kimberley Burrows
"When I wake up, I like to check my e-mails and read the news using my iPad with its various accessibility features. I have zoom, large bold text, high contrast and voiceover functions enabled to enhance my experience as much as possible. My iPad is an incredibly valuable tool to me, giving me the freedom to communicate via my blog and social networking sites independently.
As the RNIB Young Illustrator for 2014, I'm e-mailed a different theme on which to base my illustration each month. I like to prepare by sketching some ideas and choosing colour palettes, and will then draw a draft version to properly translate my final thoughts onto paper. I will spend the majority of the month working on my illustration, doing a little bit each day, with help from my Daylight lamp and folding bed table. I try not to exceed about an hour a day, as my small amount of useful vision will get too strained!
I have also been asked by Henshaws to produce a composition which will be displayed on the John Lewis community art wall at the Trafford Centre, which I'm currently working on.
On Fridays I visit Henshaws in Manchester for the Braille Group and Arts and Crafts Group. Before I came to Henshaws, my visual impairment had affected my confidence and I was very shy and reserved around others. Since coming to these groups my confidence has grown and I really enjoy the social aspect of being with other visually impaired people and bonding over new skills.
Braille has become one of my hobbies after studying it at Henshaws, so in the evening I like to do some Braille revision, practicing dot combinations and reading through the Fingerprint course books."
Kimberley is a keen blogger and she has just started blogging for Henshaws, sharing her stories. To read them go to henshaws.org.uk/blog. Also to read her own personal blog visit gleamed.blogspot.co.uk
My mum also spied one of my tweets and a photo from the Pride of Henshaws Ball included in the newsletter too!
A big thank you to the Henshaws team, especially Helen, for the wonderful feature piece and other little cameos in the newsletter! This is my first time being involved with Vision and I enjoyed writing for it very much!
The new issue of the Vision newsletter by Henshaws is available now in PDF and large print formats. Previous issues can be viewed here.