Upcoming Events: March - May 2015

Spring is well on its way and I have quite a busy few months ahead which, of course, means the opportunity for more exciting blog posts! Here's what I'll be getting up to in the coming weeks:

Monday, 16th March

30 minute 'equality and diversity' speech and presentation for Cargill; whose staff have been volunteering at Henshaws over the years in a variety of roles from bag-packing to supporting social groups. I was kindly invited to give a presentation on how Henshaws have supported me over the past 2 years and how people can help to support blind or visually impaired employees in the office environment or when out and about.

Tuesday, 24th March

RNIB Group workshop at Judd Street in London, to develop work with children and young people - helping to shape the services that Action and RNIB provide. Parents, children and young people will have the chance to share their experiences. I will be giving a 5 minute speech on the importance of independence and how the Envision campaigning network helped in giving me mine.

Wednesday, 25th March

Visit to Windermere, in the Lake District, to an Action for Blind People event for young people to help present a workshop focused around the Envision campaigning network, that I am currently Co-Chair to. I will discuss how I came up with the name of the network, how it has helped to expand my confidence and independence, develop my interest in Politics and grow my campaigning skills.

Thursday, 26th March

I will be filmed by the Books@Home service, part of Salford Libraries, who deliver audiobooks to me each month free of charge. I enjoy a huge plethora of books and have done so for nearly 2 years now. I will be helping with a short film that will show me receiving and listening to my books, and then give an interview on what the service means to me in terms of accessibility, equality and inclusion. The film will be shared with peers and partners of Salford Libraries to show the importance of the service to those who are visually impaired.

Monday, 30th March
Visit to the University of York to test the accessibility of websites for a student's accessibility study (in the Human-Computer Interaction Research Group). I will be evaluating 6 websites, spending between 40 - 60 minutes on each, using a Mac computer with built-in VoiceOver (my preference!) to undertake regular tests and identify possible problems. 

Thursday, 2nd April

Visit to Madame Tussauds in Blackpool for an accessible hands-on visit of their collection. The staff have kindly arranged a visit for me to have a sighted guide and interactive experience of what they have to offer.

Tuesday, 7th April
'Being Safe Online' module workshop at the Henshaws Resource Centre, in Old Trafford, as part of the TechTalk group. It will be a 70 minute session covering a variety of areas, such as; cyber-bullying, cyber-stalking, trolling, identity theft, sexting, grooming, webcam blackmail and e-mail scams. The session will be interactive with both individual and group discussion and quizzes.

Sunday, 19th April
'Swap With Me' event with First Bus in Bolton, giving the opportunity for blind and partially sighted people to speak directly to bus drivers and staff about their experiences and concerns, as well as the challenges that bus travel can bring. There will also be a session on learning the different types of bus layout, with parked buses in the depot, as well as the chance to sit on the driver's cab and experience things from their point of view. Drivers and staff will be asked to undertake a number of activities including scanning a pass and finding a seat to understand the needs of visually impaired passengers.

Thursday, 23rd April
Visit to the Manchester Art Gallery, with the Henshaws Art Galleries and Meseums group, for an audio described talk and tour of the 'Eastern Exchanges: East Asian Craft and Design' exhibition. The show features over 1,500 years of the rich craft heritage of Japan, Korea and China with exhibits ranging from magnificent court treasures to masterpieces by contemporary makers. It will include historic works from Manchester's collection which have not been exhibited for over 30 years!

Saturday, 9th May
Collection event for Guide Dogs at Tesco Extra in Irlam.

January Recap!

The first month of 2015 has been extremely busy for me with lots of different group meetings and events! Here is a recap of everything I've been involved with during January:

Tuesday, January 6th:
TechTalk group at Henshaws Society for Blind People, discussing the latest accessible software and apps. The first group meeting of the year.

Tuesday, January 13th:
Visit to Henshaws College and the Arts & Crafts Centre in Harrogate as part of my volunteer work placement at the Henshaws Manchester resource centre as part of the marketing team.

Wednesday, January 14th:
Photoshoot with the RNIB

Friday, January 16th:
Rebranding Workshop at Henshaws 

Thursday, January 22nd:
'Nothing About Us Without Us Is For Us' user voice group at the Henshaws Resource Centre in Old Trafford.

Saturday, January 24th:
Collections for Henshaws at the Manchester Beer & Cider Festival 2015 at the National Cycling Centre (Velodrome). £4300 raised altogether over the 4 day period!

Tuesday, January 27th:
Holocaust Memorial Day Service at Westminster City Hall in London commemorating 70 years since the liberation of Auschwitz-Burkenau.

Thursday, January 29th:
Visual Impairment Awareness Training (VIAT) at the Henshaws Resource Centre in Old Trafford as part of the final stage of becoming an official volunteer for Henshaws.

Friday, January 30th:
Collection at Morrison's in Eccles for the Guide Dogs Association for the Blind with the Salford Branch.

Saturday, January 31st:
Collection at Morrison's in Eccles for the Guide Dogs Association for the Blind with the Salford Branch.

Upcoming Projects & Events

I have lots of exciting projects and events lined up for the Autumn and Winter, and thought I would share them here so that you can have a read of what I'll be involved in during the upcoming months!

Wednesday, 27th August

Filming a video with professional dancer, Faye Huddleston, promoting Henshaws Society for Blind People's biggest and brightest fundraising campaign - Bright for Sight! Faye and I take on the 'No Mirror Make-Up Challenge' created especially for the video, applying our brightest make-up products without a mirror!

Monday, 1st September

I'll be starting my work placement, at Henshaws Society for Blind People's Manchester resource centre, with the marketing team. I'll be involved with lots of different aspects of marketing, including; updating and maintaining their social media websites, updating blog posts, sitting in on meetings and taking minutes, connecting and networking with other companies, and so on.

Saturday, 13th September

Have Your Say Day at Friends Meeting House near St. Peters Square. This is a unique and entertaining day for blind and visually impaired people to share and discuss their views and experiences, along with three guest speakers, on topics such as Braille and tactile maps, new technology, the shared space concept and crossing the road safely and independently.

Saturday, 20th September

The One Man's Vision exhibition opens at Salford Museum and Art Gallery, based on the story of Thomas Henshaw and his philanthropic work which resulted in Henshaw's Asylum for the Blind - now Henshaws Society for Blind People. I am currently Brailling out accessible labels to be displayed alongside the special objects and paintings, kindly donated by the RNIB and Gallery Oldham, and will also help to install the exhibits beforehand. You can find out more about the exhibition by visiting the One Man's Vision website here.

Wednesday, 1st October

The second Henshaws Fashion Fundraiser takes place at Alderley Edge Cricket Club in Cheshire. I'll be giving another speech at the fashion show, this time based on the make-up I wear - how I select and purchase my products, how I identify them and how I apply them with the limited vision I have without a mirror. You read about my attendance at the first event, earlier this year, by clicking here.

Thursday, 23rd October

An Envision Meeting at the RNIB HQ in Judd Street, London, to discuss the feedback identified in the coffee shop surveys - as well as to finalise our coffee shop charter, following discussion regarding presenting it to the 4 main coffee chains in the UK.

Monday, 10th November - Wednesday, 12th November

Visit to European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, with the RNIB and European Blind Union, to meet and engage with MEPs to discuss issues, such as; the accessibility of manufactured goods (including ICT) and the accessibility of apps, websites and social media.

Upcoming Events

Here are some of the upcoming events I'll be attending during the following two months. More will be added when they are arranged!

Thursday, April 10th:

Envision Steering Group meeting, training day and campaigns workshop at Judd Street in London. I'll also be providing some sketches and ideas of 'thank you' cards to the RNIB team, who have kindly asked me to design cards for their patrons of the charity.

Monday, April 28th:

Teleconference with the Envision Steering Group discussing the recent training day in London and how we have taken forward the actions from the previous meeting at Judd Street.

Tuesday, April 29th:

Focus Day at Henshaws showing an array of magnifiers and other available aids. Meal with the Arts & Crafts group at Rivington Barn in the afternoon.

Thursday, May 8th:
Visit to the Manchester Art Gallery with the Henshaws Art Galleries & Museums group, for an audio described talk and tour of "Art for All: Thomas Horsfall's gift to Manchester" I will then be making a blog post for the Henshaws blog regarding the group and tour.

Monday, May 19th:

Conference with the Greater Manchester Police Crime Commissioner, Tony Lloyd, to discuss the reporting process of crime, as well as gathering suggestions and feedback on how the process can be more accessible to visually impaired and blind people. Also advising on how to keep safe and prevent oneself from becoming a victim of crime in the local area.

Tuesday, May 27th:
The start of Skillstep -a 12 week training course, provided by Henshaws Society for Blind People, and supported by the Big Lottery Fund. It is a practical course and beneficial for those who are seeking employment or voluntary work, or for those wanting to go into further education. Skillstep also delivers the perfect opportunity to boost confidence and independence, and expand social circles.

Saturday, May 31st to Sunday, June 1st
The Spirit of Salford Weekender, providing two days of celebrations featuring everything that makes the city special. A variety of events will be taking place at the Salford Civic Centre.

Tuesday, June 10th:
Teleconference with the Envision steering group discussing the Campaigners' Convention in Birmingham on Sunday, the workshops we will be attending individually and distributing notes across the network to expand our knowledge of key skills and implementation during our own coffee shop campaign work.

Saturday, June 14th to Sunday, June 15th:

Visit to the RNIB Campaigners' Convention in Birmingham, meeting with other local campaigners and exchanging hints, tips and ideas for effective campaigning. Agenda includes; campaign experience sessions led by volunteer campaigners sharing their knowledge and challenges of past campaign work, campaign skills workshops covering everything from media skills to lobbying and story-telling, plenary sessions, guest speakers and campaigner Q&A's.

Monday, June 30th:
Networking Day at Henshaws. Talks from staff regarding their services, future aims, financing, and many other interesting bits of information. A chance for other visually impaired people to give their feedback, suggestions and opinions

You can view my previous events by clicking here!