Celebrating 10 years of Life of a Blind Girl

Exactly 10 years ago today (12 January to be exact), I started my blog. Life of a Blind Girl was born into the world.

I remember thinking that I wanted to do something with my determination to do more disability related work. I’d been speaking to my friends and family about wanting to do some kind of disability related activism alongside my longstanding volunteering while studying for a degree at the time. Although I didn’t know what. I’d started to immerse myself in the world of disability on social media, and that led me to discovering fellow disabled bloggers, many of which are now friends.

I remember the moment the blog came to life like it was yesterday. I was sat in the comfort of my bedroom, hesitantly pressing publish on my very first blog post. I told myself that I had nothing to lose. If no one read it, that was okay. All I could do was enjoy the process.

 

Where it all began

Even now, I’m asked why I created my blog. And I always go back to a variation of the same answer: to raise awareness and help others. That will remain the pillar of my blog for as long as it remains on the internet. Even though my blog has evolved over the years, and will likely further do so, that will forever be the key component of everything I do over here.

Before we rewind to the beginning, it feels right to dig a little deeper on how it all happened.

If you’re a longtime reader of my blog, you’ll know that I was born at 24 weeks, resulting in a condition called Retinopathy of Prematurity. I didn’t know many disabled people growing up, resulting in sometimes feeling quite isolated. No one quite understood life from my point of view.

The older I got, the more I started to learn about my vision impairment, and about disability as a whole. I found myself scrolling through pages and pages on Google to find the answers to many of my unanswered questions about life with a vision impairment.

I also have to recognise that a feeling of exclusion during my time in education made me crave stories from people just like mine. Surely I couldn’t be the only person feeling that way?

Spoiler alert: I wasn’t.

The information I found took a medical model approach. I didn’t want stats or hopes of research, I wanted to hear about other people’s experiences. I guess I was searching for some kind of reassurance. Stats and medical terminology didn’t give me that.

That was until I started to find disabled bloggers, content creators and activists on social media. I was hit with a lightbulb moment; perhaps I could share my experiences to help others.

And so my blog came into fruition out of the motivation to be the disabled big sister, sharing advice and experiences that I could have done with hearing myself.

Writing became what I can only describe as a form of therapy for me. It was a way of expressing my feelings and articulating my thoughts.

I never imagined that anyone would read what I had to say. When I started to receive comments on my blog posts and messages from people thanking me for sharing my story, I couldn’t quite believe what I was reading, or should I say, what I was hearing from my screen reader.

My writing has thankfully come a long way since I started blogging (we don’t need to talk about the cringe-worthy posts from the very beginning), yet one thing remains the same; my desire to raise awareness and help others. I genuinely believe that every blog post has helped shape Life of a Blind Girl into what it is today.

My blog has evolved with me. That’s certainly evident when perusing the archive. It has been a story of my life – from mainstream education and university to employment, to my everyday life as a disabled adult and everything in between.

The topics have also evolved. When I first started, I played it safe. I gradually began to feel confident enough to be more open to discuss topics to share my feelings through a letter to my vision impairment, my thoughts on disability and body image, finding the balance between sharing the positives and reality of living with a disability, and dispelling myths surrounding being called brave and inspirational. I’ve become much more open through my writing, because I know that honesty is the best policy, even if it feels nervy to write. The bolder pieces are some of the ones I’m most proud of.

It’s also become a place where I’ve documented many parts of my life, becoming a space where I share my memories, whether that’s for me to look back on at a later date, or for others to relive it alongside me. That’s included everything from concert experiences to applying for a guide dog. Whether anyone reads them or not, it’s become a kind of memory box in a way, with a regular sprinkle of accessibility chat in there for good measure.

 

A trip down memory lane

When I started blogging, I never could have imagined the path it’d lead me down, and the memories I’d make. Reflecting on the last 10 years didn’t feel right without looking back on some of those memories.

First there’s the friendships. Blogging introduced me to my best friend. We’ve been through a heck of a lot together over the last 10 years. No matter what life throws our way, I know we’ll always be there for each other.

There’s also been online and offline friendships, people that have the same passions than I do that are now some of my closest friends. Our disabilities brought us together, and I’m grateful for that.

Some of my most memorable moments from the last 10 years have truly been beyond my wildest dreams.

Receiving a few accolades along the way like being named as one of the top 100 most influential disabled people in the UK in the Shaw Trust Disability Power 100 list, and winning the award for Influencer of the Year at the 2019 RNIB See Differently awards are at the top of the list.

Blogging has also led to opportunities I never could have imagined, such as working with charities that are close to my heart.

Then there’s been incredible opportunities away from writing, from being featured in media outlets such as The Guardian, Allure Magazine and Metro, to doing radio interviews.

Sharing my story has given me chances to step out of my comfort zone and take on opportunities I never even thought possible, like presenting a show on RNIB Connect Radio for a good chunk of two years.

 

Perhaps most significantly though, is how finding my love of writing helped me find the right career path.

Life of a Blind Girl isn’t just a hobby. It’s allowed me to grow my social media presence, being another place where I can talk about my passion for accessibility and share my life as a disabled person. It’s also given me the chance to dabble in content creation from time to time.

For years I knew that I wanted to work within the field of disability. The problem was I didn’t know what.

When working in the field of assistive technology, I took on any opportunity to grow my freelance writing portfolio. My writing and social media was what gave me a buzz every single time. I found myself gravitating towards a career in the world of communications, specifically social media. A few years later, I’m so proud that ambition became a reality.

I genuinely believe that if it wasn’t for starting my blog, I never would have even considered a career in comms. It really does combine all of my passions.

 

A heartfelt thank you

Putting my blog posts together is so much more than typing away at my laptop.

My family are the most incredible cheerleaders, always giving me their unwavering support. My mum and dad spend hours helping me with the photography that’s featured on here.

 

I couldn’t write this post without recognising you, my wonderful readers. Thank you for always returning blog post after blog post to read my ramblings. Whether you’ve read one post or 100, your support means the world.

You have no idea how much of a smile it puts on my face whenever I receive your lovely messages.

Thank you for joining me over here. I don’t have the words to express how grateful I am!

 

10 years on, I can wholeheartedly say that blogging has changed my life in many ways. I’ve dedicated countless hours to sharing my thoughts, creating what I hope is educational content, and often poured my heart into the most honest pieces.

My life is very different to what it was in January 2015 when I took the leap into the world of blogging. I wouldn’t change any of it for the world.

Thank you once again for every like, comment, message, follow or share – your support means everything.

Although my blog posts are much more periodic nowadays, I won’t be going anywhere. I hope you’ll stick around to see what’s in store next.

Here’s to 10 years of Life of a Blind Girl, with hopefully many more to come!

Holly x