-
Community Stories, Resources and Support, Advocacy and Campaigns, Health and Disability, Staying in work, Features, Spotlight Stories,Blog Views
265
Patchworker Spotlight: Holly’s story
Holly is an award-winning blogger, freelance writer and disability advocate from York, UK. Registered blind due to a condition called Retinopathy of Prematurity, Holly also has ME/CFS. We spoke with Holly to learn more about her experiences and thoughts on the vital importance of accessibility in the workplace.
To start, could you please tell us about yourself?
I’m registered blind due to a condition called Retinopathy of Prematurity. I also have ME/CFS. I work as a Social Media Officer within the charity sector.
When I’m not working, I can usually be found tapping away at my keyboard writing articles for publications and creating content for my blog. Oh, and I also do a bit of radio presenting as well!
In my free time, you can usually find me at a concert (I probably go to way too many), making memories with my friends and family, spending too much time on the internet or reading a good book.
Can you tell us a bit more about your story?
I’m a university graduate with a BA Honours degree in Children, Young People and Families. Working within the charity sector is something I've had my sights set on for years, but I never thought it would actually happen. The fact that I’m now working for a charity that is extremely close to my heart is something that I'm extremely proud of.
Before working within the charity sector, I worked as an Assistive Technology Advisor at the university I graduated from – a role that I did for nearly 4 years. I’m passionate about accessibility and assistive technology and have a keen interest in content accessibility.
Have you faced any workplace barriers due to your situation? Do you think the ‘conventional’ world of work most employers use needs to change?
I’m very lucky to have had employers that have understood my disability and chronic illness, and done everything they could to put reasonable adjustments in place, support me and most importantly, treat me like my sighted colleagues.
However, things haven't always been straightforward. I've faced barriers accessing the assistive technology and equipment I needed to do my job. The slow waiting times for Access to Work meant that I was without the vital equipment and software I needed to carry out my role for several months, making it very difficult to do my job.
In regards to my chronic illness, it took me 6 years to get a diagnosis. This meant that it was difficult for reasonable adjustments to be put in place due to not having a formal diagnosis for so long.
I spent several years pushing on because it was the only way at the time. This had a huge impact on my ME/CFS symptoms and overall health. Thankfully, when I eventually got the diagnosis, I no longer had to push on and could get the adjustments I so badly needed.
If you could change one thing about the world of work or the way employers saw accessibility, what would it be and why?
Remember that accessibility enables us to do our jobs in the same way as everyone else. Accessibility makes a world of difference for everyone. I'd like employers to take the time to educate themselves and ensure that disabled people have equal access in all aspects of employment, right from the recruitment process. Listen to us, don't be afraid to ask questions and please take note of what we say. I don't want employing a disabled person to be seen as 'hard work' or 'not worth it' because we can bring so much value and talent to your organisation. Don't dismiss us.
What inspired you to start doing the work you currently do?
My lived experience of vision impairment and disability inspired me to start my blog, which then led to freelance writing work and other opportunities. I found myself using social media to share my story and engage with the disability community. Ever since, I've wanted to use my lived experience to strive to make a difference and I am now doing that in all areas of my work.
What is the biggest lesson you have learnt from your career to date?
Strive to achieve your goals, because you can make them a reality.
Do you have a favourite quote or personal mantra?
Just be true to who you are.
If you could change one thing about people's perception of disability, what would it be?
To see us as who we truly are. Our disability is a huge part of our lives, but we are so much more than our disability or chronic illness.
Find out more about Holly’s story:
Holly’s Blog, ‘Life of a Blind Girl'.
Life of a Blind Girl Facebook Page
Published: 18th February 2022
Tags
All Tags
Academy for Disabled Journalists Academy for Disabled SEO Specialists Accessibility Accessibility information Accessibility int he workplace Accessibility ramps Accessible education Accessible locations Accessible places Acid reflux Adaptive fashion Advocacy AI All Saints Alt text Assistive technology Autism Awareness Blog Bullying Burnout Business Businesses Cancer Candidates Captions Cerebral palsy Characters Charity Charity sector Chronic pain Closed captions Clothes Clothing Cognitive disabilities Comfort zone Communication Companies Company Company Corner Company culture Confidence Confucius Consultant Consultation Content creator Content designer Data talent Diagnosis Difference Digital transformation Disabilities Disability advocate Disability advocates Disability awareness Disability community Disability confident Disability employment Disability inclusion Disability news Disability Policy Centre Disability Pride Disabled Disabled community Disabled people Disabled People’s Direct Action Network Disabled team Disabled-led Diverse Diversity Diversity and inclusion Diversity Recruitment Platform Domestic violence Dysfluency Education Education and resource platform Employment opportunities Empowerment Ethnic minorities Fashion Fashion industry Fathom Feedback Flexible work Freelance Game Gaming Gareth Walkom Garment technologist Gastrointestinal conditions Gem Turner Gender Grant Logan Guide dog Healthcare Homeworking HR Hybrid working Inclusion Inclusivity India Inspiration Intellectual capabilities Interview process Interviews Invisible disabilities Invisible disability Isaac Harvey Isaac Harvey MBE Istituto Marangoni Jack Wills Job descriptions Job interviews Job opportunities Journalism Journalists Learning disability Leeds Leeds trinity university Legislation LGBTQ+ Limb-pelvic hypoplasia LinkedIn LinkedIn influencer London London Fashion Week Long-term health condition Long-term health conditions Mapping days Matt Pierri Maya angelou Meta Metaverse Migrants Motivation Musculoskeletal conditions National Council for the Training of Journalists NCTJ Neurodivergence Neurodivergent Neurodiversity consultant Neurodiversity space Neurotype Neurotypes New Delhi News Non-profit Novos OBS Office environment Partially sighted People Phase Eight Phone calls Physical disabilities Pirate video games Policy Poverty Presentations Primark Processes and systems Public speaking Puneet Singh Singhal Race Raising awareness Registered blind Remote education Remote work Removing barriers Rights School Scoliosis Scope Selection process Self-employed Self-employment Senior staff Sexuality Shaw trust Shaw trust power 100 list Sign language Social mission Social mobility Social-emotional learning Social-emotional learning platform Software Speaking situation Speech differences Speech disabilities Speech impediment Spotlight series Spotlight stories Ssstart Staff Stammer Stammering Stories Stuttering Sustainable change Sweaty Betty Tech industry Tech talent TEDx Tesco Think tank Underrepresentation Unhidden Unhidden Clothing Universities Vanessa Castañeda Gill Victoria Beckham Video editor Video game Vimeo Violence Virtual reality VR Web accessibility Wheels and Wheelchairs Women Work environment Work from home Working conditions Working from home Workplace adjustments Youth Zoom Abc Ability Today Access to work Accessibility in the workplace Accessibility test Accessible work Acting Adhd Adjustments Administrative Adrian lord Advice Advocacy and campaigns Allparty parliamentary group for inclusive entrepreneurship American civil rights movement Android Anglonorman App Artificial intelligence Bad grammar Barriers to work Bbc Benefits Blind persons act Blue badge Blue badge service specialists Care Career Carer Celtic languages Center on everyday lives of families Ceo Cfs Chloe tear Chronic fatigue syndrome Chronic health condition Chronic illness Commodo aute beatae Community Community story Community, community story, founder, feature, accessible work, disability employment gap, making a difference Companies house Compressed hours Computer science Computers Coronavirus Councils Covid19 Crystal mark standard Deaf Design Dialects Dictionary Digital accessibility Disability Disability discrimination act Disability employment gap Disability rights movement Disability services Disabled peoples direct action network Disabled persons employment act Disabled-led organisation Easy read Edit Tag Test 2 Email address Employers Employment English English speakers Entrepreneur Entrepreneurship Epilepsy Equality Equality act Equality and diversity Equality of access Esources, disability, disability services, support services, community story, features, adjustments, social support network Esse vero eum nisi a Eugenics Facebook Feature Features Fibromyalgia First world war Flexi Flexible working Flexitime Flextime Founder Francesco cirillo Freelancing French Gcses Gdpr General data protection regulation Good Good grammar Google Government policy Government support Graduate Graduates Grammar Grammar schools Health Health condition Health conditions Hearing impairment Help And Support Tags History History of language Holistic Ico Impact Imposter syndrome Inclusive entrepreneur network Inequalities Inequality Information commissioners office Information governance Instagram Internet Jacqueline winstanley Laborum Magna moles Language Latin Law Learning difficulties Lexicographers Limited company Local councils Local government Making a difference Marketing strategy Mecfs Medical conditions Medical model of disability Medical vs social models of disability Medicines Mental health Middle english Mindfulness Mlm Mobility issues Molestias quod sapie Multilevel marketing Nam eaque iure aut v National league of the blind Neurodiversity Nihil corporis aliqu Niya Normans Old english Old french Onboarding and retention Online Out of work Oxbridge Parent Passwords Patchwork hub Payment details Planning Planning for work Podcasts Pomodoro Preposition Private schools Psychiatric Psychiatry Punctuation Qui voluptatem debi React Reasonable adjustments Recruitment Remote working Resources Resources and support Rest Retinopathy of prematurity Sales Scam Search engine Second world war Shell shock Slang Sociability Social Cipher Social interactions Social media Social model of disability Social support network Socialising Spelling Spoken language Spotlight series Spotlight stories Standard english Startup State schools Student Students Studying Suffragette movement Support Support services Syntactician Syntax Tag Technology The Disability Policy Centre The elderly Then barbara met alan Trafalgar square Turkish United nations Universal inclusion University University of arts london University of cambridge University of hertfordshire University of hull University of leeds University of oxford Victoria Jenkins Visual impairment War Ways of working West germanic dialects William shakespeare Windsor consultations WithVR Wordpress Work structure Workforce recruitment Working environment Workplace barriers World war one World war two Young carer