Article in Puppy Tails Magazine

I was recently invited to write an article for the Puppy Tails magazine which is now available to read in their Autumn / Winter edition, issue number 68. The magazine is produced in co-operation with the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association UK, for volunteers by volunteers.

In the article I document my Guide Dog journey so far during the time it was written; from finding out about the Guide Dogs charity through the 'Living With Sight Loss' course provided by Henshaws Society for Blind People at my local community centre in the Summer of 2013, signing up to be a Guide Dog service user in September 2013, having my work placement at the Guide Dogs Training Centre in Atherton, Leigh, as part of the 12-week Skillstep course by Henshaws, and being captured on film by Blue Peter during my time there!

Article reads: "My name is Kimberley Burrows, I'm 25, and I've been severely visually impaired all of my life.I was born as a premature baby suffering from congenital cataracts that weren't noticed until I was 4 years old; resulting in underdeveloped optic nerves, the removal of my natural lenses, a sensitivity to light, night blindness and only 10% central vision in my left eye.

During the summer of last year I attended a 'Living With Sight Loss' course, provided by Henshaws Society for Blind People, at my local community centre. This allowed me to converse with other people suffering from sight loss in my local area for the first time. The course ran for 6 weeks and covered a variety of different topics which included mobility, transport, concessions, passes and benefits, personal safety and access to information through talking newspapers and talking books.

through one of the many visits from other organisations, I was introduced to the Guide Dogs charity and the life-changing work that they do to help visually impaired and blind people gain stronger independence and mobility skills through a working partnership with a specially-trained canine. I had never considered applying for a Guide Dog before, but the visit from the volunteer soon changed my mind! She was full of confidence, enthusiasm and determination thanks to her working partnership with her black Labrador - and these were traits I could only dream of at the time! My confidence was lacking and my mobility skills were very much non-existant.

A few months later in early September, it was the annual Fun Day event at the Guide Dogs Training Centre in Atherton, Leigh. The visit from the volunteer earlier in the summer really made an impression on me; so I decided to head along and witness first-hand the work that Guide Dogs do. I met puppy walkers, mobility instructors, trainers and volunteers and they all echoed and reinforced the same sentiments as the volunteer I'd met on the Living With Sight Loss course previously - that working with a Guide Dog is extremely beneficial and does indeed boost confidence, self-esteem and independence to new levels. That was it, I just had to apply! One of the staff members helped to fill in my application form and I was very pleased with the outcome from the Fun Day event!

Two months later, I received my first home visit from a Guide Dog Mobility Instructor. He discussed at length the benefits that I would receive from having a Guide Dog enter my life and also explained the process of the application; completing a medical form, being assessed using a long cane and empty harness, before being matched to potential dogs. Then proceeding by entering the training process before completing and qualifying the programme. A week later, I had my second home visit and my mobility skills were assessed using my long cane.

The final part of the assessment, which involves walking with the empty harness, wasn't to be completed until the following summer, in early August, while I was undertaking a two-week work placement at the Guide Dogs Training Centre in Atherton, Leigh. At the beginning of the summer I had become part of a new course, called Skillstep, again provided by Henshaws Society for Blind People, which I had found out about through the Living With Sight loss course the previous year.

Skillstep is a 12-week course designed to help visually impaired and blind people gain employability skills through vocational and computer training, while providing the opportunity of a two-week work placement. I knew immediately that I wanted my placement to be at Guide Dogs; to have the unique insight into the training process and to learn some new skills for when I'm matched to my own Guide Dog.

I was lucky enough to be a part of various departments and experience the many different roles within the training centre; including puppy training, obedience training, dog care, volunteering and reception work. I enjoyed all of these roles immensely, but have to say that the dog care department was my favourite - and I am now an expert groomer! Towards the end of the second day, I had the fantastic opportunity of being able to experience what it's like to work with a dog in full harness. I was guided around an outside obstacle course filled with traffic cones, safety barricades, A-boards and sign posts with ease and it confirmed to me that signing up for a Guide Dog was the right direction to take and is something I will greatly benefit from in the near future!

Blue Peter were filming on the Monday that I was working in the volunteering department, and between breaks I was guided to the indoor training arena to watch some of the filming take place. I even had the chance to meet Blue Peter's very own Guide Dog puppy, Iggy, afterwards and have a photo taken with her! When the episode premiered on television that was filmed during my placement, I was notified by quite a few people through my blog that I had appeared in the background of some of the footage of Iggy!

On the last morning of my work placement, I received my third and final home visit in the application process; looking at my home-life and the people and pets I live with, assessing the garden where my Guide Dog would spend, and identifying some of the routes I would be taking in my local area. We took one such route for the empty harness part of the assessment, and I learned some of the basic commands to give a Guide Dog when we are working together. I did extremely well in my harness assessment; largely due to the instructor sneakily veering right towards the Butcher's en route, and me recognising where in the route I was to snap back the harness, show that this was not my destination and focus on to the end of the road. Because of this, I passed with flying colours!

My application was completed and accepted the same day, and I have officially been on the waiting list to be matched for 2 months now. It's been a long journey of 13 months already, but I'm sure it's going to be well worth the wait when I'm finally matched, trained and living a completely independent life!"

Magazine Scan: Third Illustration for Insight Magazine

I received the new issue of Insight Magazine over the weekend! Here is the scan of my third illustration. I'm really pleased with how this turned out and am very grateful to the team for taking my feedback on board from the previous issue. I think this works really well and was also very easy for me to find when flicking through the magazine!

Young Illustrator

Kimberley Burrows, our young illustrator has enjoyed lots of media attention since the last issue, appearing in the Manchester Evening News and on ITV's Granada Reports.

We asked Kimberley to create an illustration about her journey to independence.

Kimberley explains: "This portrays me in my high school uniform when I was a teenager, looking towards the future of adult life and responsibilities - food shopping independently, washing clothes, preparing meals safely and managing money and paying bills.

These are skills that I'm still learning as a severely visually impaired adult.

An enablement officer based at Henshaws Society for Blind People visits me weekly to help me learn kitchen skills such as using appliances, pouring hot liquids, chopping, peeling and spreading and working up to preparing meals safely and independently."

The new issue of RNIB's Insight Magazine is out now. You can find out more about how to subscribe by clicking here.

Feature in the Henshaws Vision Newsletter

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.

Article in The Core Magazine

I'm featured in the new issue of The Core Magazine (issue 19), regarding my illustrations and determination to overcome barriers as a severely visually impaired young person.

My father is a support worker for the Foster Care Association / Core Assets and was approached, after the team had seen my interviews on Granada Reports and in the local newspapers, to help with a feature piece about me for the upcoming issue of their very own magazine.

My Amazing Daughter

At Core Assets we celebrate the achievements of young people. So when Carl Burrows, team support worker in Ashton Under Lyne, told us a story about what his daughter Kimberley has achieved, we knew we had to share it. Over to Carl:

My daughter Kimberley was born two months premature, resulting in her having congenital cataracts and severe sight loss. At 18, she was diagnosed with a type of brain tumour which required surgery. She is now blind in one eye and has around 10% vision in the other.

She loves art and wasn't going to let anything stop her fulfilling her dream of becoming an artist! At school she achieved an A* in GCSE Art and has carried on doing illustrations, particularly of Roald Dahl and Paddington Bear characters. Paddington Bear creator, Michael Bond, saw one of her drawings and invited Kimberley and her mum to his house in London for tea. Kimberley gave him a Paddington Bear drawing and received a special anniversary bear!

Despite only being able to work 10-20 minutes at a time due to the eye strain it causes, Kimberley was recently named the RNIB Young Illustrator of the Year 2014 and has been chosen as an advocate for young blind and partially sighted people. She went to the Houses of Parliament in October 2013.

The story of her award and how she overcame her disabilities featured in local newspapers, on ITV News and in the Daily Mail.

Kimberley hopes to gain a place at the Royal National College for the Blind and is currently in the process of getting a Guide Dog, so she'll be even more independent!

I am very proud of Kimberley. She is so positive and is a great example to everyone she meets. But above all, she is a lovely, happy person.


Thank you very much to Core Assets and the The Core Magazine team for such a lovely article and for featuring me in the new issue! Also a big thank you to my dad for helping to write the piece and for sharing my story with his work colleagues and friends!

Second Illustration in RNIB's Insight Magazine

 Here is my second illustration in the RNIB's Insight Magazine.

I'm quite disappointed, I have to admit. I spend a month at a time working on my illustrations - from planning how I want it to look, to choosing the colour scheme - and then spend 20 minutes at a time, for an hour a day, in the knowledge that it will be completed by the end of the month to then e-mail off to the team.

My illustration has taken up only a quarter of the page, with an advertisement of a Brailler filling half. I didn't notice my illustration at first when I was scrolling through the PDF version for the first few times (must be something wrong with my eyes!) so I increased my computer's magnification. When I finally found my illustration, I suddenly felt deflated and like my whole month's effort was for nothing. I also felt like a hinderance to their advertisement.

The young columnist doesn't get any ads on her page, so I'm not sure why I do - though the last issue's ad wasn't as noticeable as this one. It's so difficult to illustrate as a severely visually impaired person, as I can't see my illustrations in their entirety, having only 10% vision in one eye. Whereas if you were to write an article, there are so many tools to help you; voicing each key you type and reciting back what you've written on screen. There are barely any tools to help with drawing, aside from lighting, but I struggle on because I find it satisfying and fulfilling to complete something that is an obstacle for me.

I'm not the best person at Photoshop but I managed to come up with an alternative version without an ad to obstruct the page.

I'm heartbroken and know my mum will feel the same way when she sees the final result, as she knows how much time and effort I put into my drawings. I'm thinking of sending her this version and pretending it's the real thing, to avoid witnessing her disappointment too.

I hope that the Insight magazine team will take my feedback on board, and hopefully give me a bit more space in the next issue to present my illustrations properly.

Salford Advertiser / Manchester Evening News Scans & Online Article

Last Thursday I had an interview with Ruhubia Akbor, a journalist who works with the Manchester Evening News, and on Monday a photographer came to my home to take some shots for the accompanying article. Both of my articles for the Salford Advertiser (Thursday, 13th February) and the Manchester Evening News (Friday, 14th February) can be seen below, detailing my journey of winning the RNIB's Illustrator of the Year for 2014 and producing illustrations for their Insight Magazine.

Blind Artist Sketches Out a Bright Future for Herself

A blind woman is a step closer to realising her dream of becoming an artist after winning a national competition. Kimberley Burrows, 25, was born partially blind and can only see a little out of one eye. But despite only being able to work on her drawings for a few minutes at a time, she has never let her sight problems hold her back. Her winning illustration saw her being named the RNIB's Insight Magazine's Illustrator of the Year.

Her drawing - which represents her next steps in life from training for her guide dog, learning braille and how to use a long cane - features in the current issue of the magazine and took almost a month to complete. Kimberley, of Irlam in Salford, said: "I've enjoyed drawing since I was a little girl. It has always been my favourite hobby. I thought I'd give it a go and spent a month working on it. I can only do a little each day as it causes eye strain. I really didn't think I'd win and I was really shocked, but pleased and honoured."

Kimberley uses a Daylight lamp to help her see her work and uses colouring pencils and a fineliner to create her colourful pictures. She is no stranger to praise for her work having been commissioned to create a special drawing of Paddington Bear for creator Michael Bond.

She said, "I chatted to his daughter through Facebook and showed her some pictures I'd done of Paddington. She really liked them and wanted me to meet her dad, so we travelled down to London and I took him a special picture I'd done and he loved it. Art is not a usual line of work for someone who is blind, but no matter what, you can't let things be a barrier. You have to overcome and achieve what you want to achieve. You do need a lot of willpower but I'm determined to do it."

Kimberley has now been given the task of creating 12 illustrations over the year and asked to create a piece of artwork for Henshaws Society the Blind at John Lewis' community art wall in the Trafford Centre. She has ambitions to study art at the Royal National College for the Blind after she has a fully trained guide dog.

Photographs © Eddie Garvey

The article can also be viewed on the Manchester Evening News official website here.

It was wonderful to go to Henshaws yesterday, at Artherton House in Manchester, and share the experience with my friends and the staff - with some of them already having seen my article in the Salford Advertiser the night before. It was also very surreal to listen to the Salford Talking News and hear the team reading out the article, describing my photographs (with some really love compliments!) and give very positive comments. They also recognised that I'm a listener of the local talking news and wished me the best of luck for the future. I'm extremely honoured that Ruhubia wanted to write an article about me and am so thankful for the opportunities it has presented - an interview with the national press and ITV news, coming very soon!