Author Archives: Visually Impaired Pip

About Visually Impaired Pip

I am a visually impaired, dyspraxic person with CVI. I don’t always see things even when they’re right in front of me. Follow my musings and I hope we don’t get lost.

Saint Ives

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Hello all,

I am back. I was off for a while feeling unwell so writing took a back seat.

We have just come back from our holiday in Cornwall. We stayed in a new house this time. Whilst we were on holiday the weather wasn’t too great. But it is still Cornwall, which is lovely.

No matter what the weather the colours are always stunning. You get a lot of Artists in Cornwall, whether it’s Rowena Cade the creator of the stunning Minack Theatre or Barbara Hepworth, whose sculptures you may be familiar with if you have visited Cornwall or the Hepworth Museum in Wakefield.

Peering through two sets off rock the right side is higher than the left. The ocean cam be seen in the distance. The sky is cloudy. Shot in Black and White.

Saint Ives is full of artists and it’s an amazing place to draw, paint and just be. The lighting hits things differently in Cornwall. More specifically in Saint Ives. Even if it is raining the blues, green and greys from the ocean look tinted with silver as the light ascends on the town.

I really wish I could live there. Here are a few of the photo’s I took this last week. 

This is a photo looking out from the  headland. Peering between two rocks over the cliff. I think black and white photography can be quite intense as it shows more detailing.

The is high, the layer of rocks in front go out to meet there blue ocean. Harbour of Mousehole is in the distance, to the right side.

We went out to Mousehole to have some lunch at The Ship Inn. You can walk from a car park past the rocks around to the harbour. On Sunny days like this one the see glistens as it is struck by the sunlight. 

Being Visually Impaired I find photography to be more accessible to me, if I see something which I think I like I can just grab my phone or camera and just capture that moment.


In my blog I have tried to share a few other photos I have taken to share with you one of the things which I enjoy doing with my time.

We really enjoyed our holiday and we are looking forward to going back soon. 

Heart Health

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For my 30th Birthday I decided I wanted to raise awareness of Congenital Heart Disease. To do this I wrote about Heart Health on this blog and about my fundraising challenge. See Pips Turning 30. 

February is National Heart Month, lets talk about Heart Disease. I was born with Congenital Heart Disease, I had two holes in my heart and interrupted aortic arch. This was corrected at one week old. 

Here in the UK 13 babies a day are diagnosed with a heart defect.

The BHF has some staggering statistics:

‘Heart and circulatory diseases cause a quarter of all deaths in the UK, that’s more than 160,000 deaths each year – an average of 460 deaths each day or one every three minutes in the UK.

  • There are around 7.6 million people living with a heart or circulatory disease in the UK: 4 million men and 3.6 million women.
  • Coronary heart disease (CHD; also known as ischaemic heart disease) is the most common type of heart disease. It is the most common cause of heart attack and was the single biggest killer of both and men and women worldwide in 2019.
  • In the UK there are as many as 100,000 hospital admissions each year due to heart attacks: that’s one every five minutes.
  • Around 1.4 million people alive in the UK today have survived a heart attack.
  • More than 900,000 people in the UK are living with heart failure.
  • Strokes cause around 34,000 deaths in the UK each year and are the biggest cause of severe disability in the UK.
  • People with a family history of coronary heart disease are much more likely to develop vascular dementia.
  • Each day 13 babies are diagnosed with a congenital heart defect in the UK.
  • There are more than 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the UK each year, with a survival rate of less than 1 in 10.
  • More than 4.9 million people in the UK have diabetes – many thousands of them are undiagnosed.’

    British Heart Foundation (2023)

    These numbers show exactly why we need to ensure we invest in our heart health. Every single one of us.
A red heart with stitching up the middle holding it together. There is a needle and thread sat underneath.
A heart stitched back together.

Being born with Congenital Heart Disease means I will be on tablets for Hight Blood Pressure for the rest of my life. No lifestyle changes can stop this. I have Congenital Kidney Disease so I need to ensure my Kidneys keep working, otherwise this will have an impact on my heart. This is one of the reasons I am on tablets.

Congenital Heart Disease also means I have to attend hospital appointments to ensure my heart stays healthy and that I am doing everything I can to look after my heart.

We need to take heart health seriously, it affects more people every year. Taking far too many lives. You can do your part to help make change by learning CPR. Find a course near you.

By learning CPR you are buying someone time. You are keeping person alive when they have a Cardiac Arrest.

Most importantly phone the Emergency Services. Then someone can come and help you.

If you would like to learn more about the BHF please follow them on Twitter and give your support. Heart disease is cruel, but hopefully, one day, we can live in a world where it does not exist. 

*I am not writing on behalf of the BHF* These are just my own thoughts surrounding Heart Disease as someone who was born with CHD.

CVI

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Hello all,

Today I thought I would write about Cerebral Visual Impairment (CVI) as I have not written about this in a while.

I have mentioned previously CVI is the way in which my brain and my eyes don’t always communicate with one another. This means I can be looking at something but not recognise what I am looking at. I could be walking straight towards someone and not understand I am about to crash into them.

The CVI society describes it as ‘Cerebral Visual Impairment (commonly referred to as CVI) is a form of visual impairment caused by the brain not being able to process information from the eyes passing along the visual pathways in the brain. It is the commonest cause of visual impairment in children in the developed world.’ CVI Society, 2023.

Another issue is that I can’t visualise in my head what people or places look like. This makes it exceptionally difficult if I need to go somewhere new. I cannot go somewhere new independently. For me to learn a new route I have to do it a number of times. Even then I will still struggle.

A good way to think about an area of CVI, for me anyway, is to think of it as though you have gaps in your memory. It is just blank. Nothing there. I don’t know if this is a feature of CVI, but it is something which I experience.  

These elements make life quite daunting and very challenging. However there are ways around things. As I say, doing new routes multiple times. When you go out and are with someone try break down descriptions of that person. For example, what colour jacket are they wearing?

Tiredness absolutely has an impact on my vision, as I am sure it does for all of us. But for me when my eyes are tired I kind of go into auto pilot. This is where my cain is important. Because you are putting your safety  in the hands of tactile thinking.

My left hand holding out my long cain in front of me. Ahead of me is the sea on the beach.


The other day I went to get into the taxi, but I didn’t realise until I was about to open the door that someone was already in it. This is where it is very dangerous because you don’t always see things, sometimes until the last minute.

CVI is only one of the conditions I have. Please check out CVI Society for more info.

Thank you reading and checking in. I hope my musings have been of interest. 

Books From 2022

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1 Electricity of every living thing  Katherine May

This was a book I found whilst trying to look for books from Autistic peoples perspectives.
I enjoy listening to these kinds of books because it allows me to feel connected to someone else’s experience.

The name of the book relates back to the feeling the person gets when they touch another person. It feels like electricity running through their body.

They also discuss their feelings of their place in the world and how they interact with what is occurring around them. This is another area I feel connected to the writer and their experience.

If you are Autistic or have someone in your life who is, then please consider this book. Especially if that person is a woman. I am always on the look out for these kinds of books so please drop them in the comments below.

2 mighty boosh Julian Barrett, Noel Fielding
Whilst this is not an audiobook but a Radio Play it still counts.
I have been a massive fan of Mighty Boost for years. Me and my Brother used to watch it. Not a lot of people I knew when it first came out enjoyed it. But we loved it. I mean who doesn’t want to know a talking gorilla?

I cannot believe it came out in 2005! This makes me very upset. If you have never given Noel Fielding and Julian Barrett a chance I highly record you do so. The comedy is weird and quite niche. But if you are into Zoos, Arctic Tundras, Bryan Ferry and Goths you will love it. 

3 divergent mind Jenara Nerenberg
Just like the Electricity of every living thing this book was incredible. It looks at the way in which Autistic People view and experience the world around them. It asks questions like ‘how can we better design buildings to suit the needs of Autistic People?’ ‘How can we better structure our days to get the best out of Autistic people?’ Rather than it being the other way around.

I sat and listened to it whilst in the garden in summer laying on the grass and just enjoying the warm sun. It was quite comforting listening to a book which questions why the world can’t work for Autistic people instead of the other way around.

Again if you are Autistic or have and Autistic person in your life, please read/listen to this book. 

4 full circle Michael Palin
This is a great listen. I cannot believe Full Circle is a documentary from 1997. It was amazing listening to how he got around the world in a age before mobile phones and instant communication. The way he talks about the various places he visited, even back then is incredible.

The way some places were only just starting to grow in terms of people and population, like China. It made me wonder, what would it be like if he did the trip again now and did a comparison?

I like Michael Palin. He has a great voice for narration and is a good book to have on while you want to relax. 

5 avoiding anxiety in autistic adults Luke Beardon
Another book I really enjoyed. Autistic People can really struggle with Anxiety. Living in a world which is not built for Autistic people creates levels of Anxiety which can be paralysing at times.

This books talks about Anxiety from and Autistic perspective and once again I felt very seen. I felt quite comforted listening to it. 

6 outsider live Sarah Millican
I am a major fan of Sarah Millican. She sounds like someone I used to know and her voice is very comforting. So whilst I was in bed feeling poorly I listened to her recording of a live show and it was nice. Plus it made me laugh. 

7 comfort book Matt Haig
The thing I liked about this one is it was just short snippets. But it really made you think about self care and how you can make small changes or think in a different way to allow yourself to feel a sense of Self Comfort. 

8 all of the marvels Douglas Wolk
I absolutely love Marvel. My favourite is Spiderman. This was the first character I ever came across.

The book is quite long, but with good reason, the guy is talking about the whole Marvel Universe, or as good as.

There’s so much he delves into, not just major characters but also ones which didn’t have many of their own comics.

If you are a fan of Marvel I again urge you too read this on. 

9 beyond the wand Tom Felton
This was good listen in that Tom Felton is being very open about his mental health. Which is brilliant. He is very open and honest about his journey in the acting world and how he found it difficult adjusting to life after Harry Potter.

I am a major advocate for people being able to talk about Mental Health. It is really important we have spacers where we can talk about how we feel so we don’t let things get bottled up and overflow.

Again I would urge anyone to listen to this book and hopefully it will enable them to feel less alone.

This was just a list of all the books I listened to last year and what I thought to them. If you have any book suggestions please leave them in the comments. Books are great because we can share our thoughts and we can delve into a completely different world where we can learn about something new.

Happy Reading,

Self Care and Tea

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Hello all,

I hope your 2023 is going well. Apparently at this point we have reached ‘Blue Monday’ whereby we have all thrown our resolutions out the window and thought ‘forget that’.

Well how about instead of forgetting that resolution you just hit pause instead? I mean did you pick something impossible to give up? Do you try a new hobby which is becoming more of a chore? Perhaps you picked more than one resolution?

I haven’t bothered with anything this year which is too taxing, I want to enjoy more audiobooks because I like reading. That’s it. I just want to do one thing which I enjoy.

Looking straight down into a teapot with a tea bag brewing inside.

Plus I can incorporate another thing I love- tea. I absolutely love tea. As I am writing this I am enjoying a cup of Twinnings Lemon and Ginger tea. It is quite warming. Its good to relax with.

One thing I realised last year is I can feel overwhelmed at times which gets my head overwhelmed. It might not be a lot by other peoples standards, but to me it is a lot. Which is why, by focussing on books and tea I can tell myself to slow down and be kind to myself. So ask yourself, is your resolution allowing you to be kind to yourself? Mine hopefully will.

I can use books to learn more, I can use them to relax and unwind. Books are amazing to me and I used to love reading physical books. I am grateful audiobooks are a thing because if they were not I would have fallen out of love with reading, as I almost did.

So please remember to be kind in whatever goal you have given yourself. It is only the 16th of January. We still have plenty of time.

Thank you for reading,
Philippa B.

Other blogs you might enjoy:

Navigating Visual Stress
2019 Books So Far

First blog of the year

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Hello all,

First blog post of 2023. I have taken a bit of time away from writing blogs as things were very busy over the past few months.

I wanted to write today about what I would like to do over the next year, not so much goals as I am not a fan of goal setting. But more building on what I enjoyed last year.

Last year my blog did better than the year before in that I got a lot more interaction with it which was lovely to see. It is nice to know what I am writing is helping others. I appreciate you taking the time to leave comments.

I would also like this year to continue with my audiobooks. I really enjoy listening to them, when I am just about the house or before bed. I don’t listen to them when I am out and about. That’s more music.

Last year I listened to a lot of audiobooks on Autism, I also listened to some biographies. Then I started listening to books on self compassion. So I am branching out on my reading.

The self compassion ones are nice as they can pair with the books around Autism. I will continue with these this year.

Do you have any thoughts on your year ahead?

Thank you for reading and Happy Musings. 

Scoliois and Chronic Pain

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One of the areas I frequently blog about is Scoliois because I am living in constant pain. The pain does vary day to day, but it is always there. 

At the moment I am sat in my comfy chair whilst trying to rest my back. I am wearing 3 layers, one if which is a long hoody which is quite fleecy. The chair has a throw over it so no cold air can get in where the arms of the chair are. I am considering putting my dressing gown on. Hang on…I have my dressing gown on now.

One of the problems I have mentioned before is the change in the weather causing me to have long periods of pain, mostly occurring more profoundly over the winter months.

I wish more people understood chronic pain.
I wish people understood that I take painkillers on a daily basis because that is a way for me to manage my pain.
I wish people understood that I do go to physio and I do have a sport massage to reset my muscles.
I wish people knew I can’t just get on with it without adapting my day to suit my pain.

Chronic pain will always be there no matter what I do. Also just because you have the operation done to correct a curved spine does not mean that the pain will go away. It will still be there in some form.

For those of you living with the impact of Chronic Pain, remember you are not alone. Your frustration and anger surrounding your pain is completely valid and I also know that hearing this does not make it any easier.

Knowing what can make it easier? I really don’t know.
This blog was just written because I am having a pain day and wanted to write about it. I wanted to share my thoughts to get them out there. Scoliosis is a difficult thing to live to live with. Especially when you were told as a teenager it wouldn’t get any worse and you probably don’t need the surgery…then when you’re in your twenties you’re told it is severe…. What are you left with? Anger… frustration… sadness…. But hay ho…. We carry on.

Thank you for reading my musings. 

Rugby League World Cup

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Hello all,

Hope you’re well.

Over the past few weeks I have been enjoying the Rugby League World Cup. The world cup is being held in England which is amazing because I don’t have to worry about time zones and missing any games.

I love rugby league and soon as I knew England were going to be hosting I wanted to go to a game. My brother bought us tickets for a semi final at Elland Road for my Birthday, my Birthday is not on this day. Then I got a new England shirt designed for the world cup.

As we all know the pandemic hit and the games were moved into the next year. Now they’re finally here I am able to enjoy all the rugby league I want.

One of the best things about these games is that they are all happening at the same time, Men’s, Women’s, Wheelchair games and for the another first the Physical Disability Rugby League World Cup. Which England have won. Which is incredible.

As a Disabled person who is also a woman this makes me very happy. The BBC and the RLWC organisers have ensured that all major games are being shown across the BBC. This means they are getting air time to all games. Showing everyone that Rugby League is a game for all.

Next Friday we will be setting off into Leeds for some food and then going to Elland Road. I am really excited. I am aware that as a Visually Impaired Person it might have been better to watch it on TV so I can see and have the commentary. But my brother got us great seats, not too far back and close to the try line so we should see some amazing tries. Plus when you have an opportunity to see a World Cup you take it.

Over the past few weeks I have been following on Twitter and the fans are really getting behind the games which is great to see. We’ve also had some amazing commentary from some incredible legends of the game such as Robbie Paul, as a Bulls Fan this has been great to have him commenting. Tanya Arnold has been brilliant with championing the game in general and I’ve enjoyed her commentary throughout.

I have also found Andrew Voss’s commentary to be brilliant, not just on the pitch but his V ratings of some of Englands finest foods- he didn’t get all the extras when ordered a kebab so he rated it as poor. He was told he would need to order it again add the sauce and salad. Vossy also loved the ever humble Greggs sausage roll.

The other first which I have enjoyed is Kasey Badger refereeing a mans game for the first time! Incredible work and the responses to this on Twitter were incredible.

Me and my friend were going to watch the first women’s game at Headingley, England v Brazil….but unfortunately we were both working. I watched Australia v Cook Islands on iPlayer for their first game and the tries just kept coming! Pelite just couldn’t be stopped.

Can you tell I love rugby? If you want to see more about this incredible World Cup of firsts follow this link.

As I say the commentary has been wonderful and I have really enjoyed it. I love rugby and the community within it. Here’s to the start of the Wheelchair games this evening. Claire Balding is out supporting the team as she is the President of the RFL Council. Come on England!

Are you enjoying the rugby? Let me know.
Twitter: @PhilippaB

Audio Described Theatre Performance

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Hello all,

Last week I went to the theatre to watch Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. I have now seen it about eight times. Whenever it comes to our theatre I always try go watch it.

When we got there me and my mum had a sandwich and a coffee. Before we went in I got myself a Joseph t-shirt. I have never bought anything from a theatre performance before.

A black t-shirt with Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat written across the front in rainbow colours.

When we went in to take our seats a woman came over and asked if we knew that the performance was Audio Described. I said we did not. They then asked if we would like to have a headset to follow along with the show. I said yes and went to sit down. Once we were sat and the lady had come back to give us the little black radio and headset a man came over and introduced himself. He mentioned he was the Audio Describer and explained how it would all work.


The theatre slowly filled up and there was a lot of chatter as there were a number of schools in the audience. As we wandered along the row to find our seats I heard one of the children go ‘woah…’ As I wandered along with my cane. I realised as we sat down I was sat near one of that schools teachers. I hope that if any of those children ask any questions about my cane that they are able to do so.

If you have questions about cane I am happy to answer from my own experience or if you check out this link you can see a variety of canes. 

The performance itself was lovely, lots of the cast were children which was great. It shows those in the audience that if they have a passion for acting they can do it too.

Before the show started the Audio Describer was setting the scene and giving a general description of the story itself. He described the stage as ‘a starry nights sky’ He explained about all the different bothers and gave descriptions.

He would also explain about the usher who was holding up a sign asking for no photography of the performance. 

I had never watched an Audio Described Performance before and found it to be very accessible. It was great to be able to watch and not have to figure out entirely what was happening on stage. The descriptions did not interfere with the songs and they were very well timed.

The experience itself was amazing, the fact that someone came up to me and asked if we knew it was Audio Described and checked that we wanted it was brilliant. As I say I have seen Joseph eight times and I have now seen it with another perspective. I felt very included.

At the end of the performance the man who was Audio Describing came back over asked how I found it. I told him it was brilliant and I had a whole new experience of Jospeh. I also mentioned that it was great that there was a school who had a child who also got to take part in watching the performance because he was there. It’s brilliant that they were able to take part with their class. 

Inclusion is all about making everyone feel welcome by giving them the accommodations they need. Making the person feel included and it being seamless. I was very happy with the experience I had at the Alhambra Theatre and I enjoyed it very much.

Now when is it on again?

Long Caines

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Hello all,

One thing which has come to my attention lately is the lack of awareness around long Caines and what they are for.

As a visually impaired person who uses a long caine I find it rather difficult when people do not acknowledge my caine.

My new long cane held in my left hand, it has a red handle.

I use a long white cain with a roller ball on the end and a red handle. My cain is there as a symbol to others that I am visually Impaired and need extra space and time to navigate my surroundings.  It is also there to allow me to feel what is going on around me so I can navigate safely.

For example I can use the cain to discover a change in surface so if there is a dropped curb or some steps I can use it to tell if there is something blocking my path and which direction I need to take to avoid this obstacle.


One very important thing to note is that I use the caine in my right hand as that is the side I see nothing out of.

If you see a person with a long cain please give them the space they need to navigate safely, do not grab them, do not jump over their cain. If you think they may need help just say hello and ask ‘do you need a hand?’ I personally do not mind if someone asks. I would rather be asked and politely decline.

Before we are let loose with our Caines we go through training. This allows us to learn to use the caine in a safe reliable manner. We have to learn to navigate steps, curbs, changes in terrain (oh yes on and off road) we learn what tactile paving means what. So we know if where approaching stairs, a crossing (what kind of crossing) or even if we are approaching a train platform.

Caines are not cheap either so this is why we ask that you don’t leap over them, as you could hurt yourself and in the process damage our caines. Or us. Ouch!

If you would like to learn more about being Visually Impaired please follow this link to discover more of my post about being visually impaired.

Thank you again for reading.