Tag: disability

#BlindGirlBeauty tag

On By elinIn Beauty/fashionLeave a comment

This tag was started up by Emily Davison AKA Fashioneyesta and Molly Burk; two awesome visually impaired beauty bloggers that I follow diligently on pretty much every social network imaginable and who I’d definitely recommend checking out if you get the chance!
Since their first colab YouTube videos, the #BlindGirlBeauty tag has snowballed! I recorded my version on Audioboom previously after being tagged by AsianLily19, also on Audioboom. I then tagged the girls at BlindNotBored and Beauty Within to produce their own #BlindGirlBeauty tags and they didn’t disappoint! Links to all of these #BlindGirlBeauty tags will be at the bottom of this post if you’d like to check them out.
So let’s get on with my #BlindGirlBeauty tag!
 
Q: What is the hardest makeup product to apply as a person who is blind or visually impaired?
A: For me this has to be fake tan. There are just so many things that could go wrong! It can look streaky, you can end up looking like a tangerine, and it can stain your hands and clothes, so it’s basically a big no-no for me. I don’t bother with sunbeds either because of the health risks involved, luckily I’m naturally pretty tanned anyway so I don’t worry about it too much.
Another product I’ve found that’s a tricky thing to master is eyeliner. Honestly I’ve never experimented with it much. The couple times I have, I’ve not been able to trust myself not to poke myself in the eyeball or something, but I do wear it if I can have someone else’s help to apply it. It’s something I’m very careful about because of the sensitivity of my eyes – if anything upsets them they get very red and watery and totally ruin my whole look! It’s definitely something I’d like to get the hang of though and I’m really excited to try out an eyeliner stencil that I’ve recently ordered and will be doing a review of on here as soon as I’ve given it a go!
 
Q: What is your number one tip for shopping with vision loss?
A: From my experience, I’d recommend taking someone along with you who you trust and who has the patients to help you. I’m not ashamed to admit that I could be considered a bit of a nightmare to shop with; I ask a lot of questions, I want a lot of detail and I usually want to try before I buy. So personally, having someone with me who has the patients to go through all the minor details, who knows my style and who’s willing to put the time and effort in to help me be absolutely sure of something before I splash the cash is essential. Being able to visualise what things look like and how I’d look in them is really important to me. If I can’t picture it, 99% of the time I won’t buy it. Those minor details are crucial for visualising things in my minds-eye, and since I go by memory most of the time for putting together outfits and applying makeup, knowing exactly what shoes go with that top and which shade of eyeshadow would go nice with that dress goes a long way in giving me that extra confidence boost.
 
Q: What is one beauty item you stay away from due to vision loss?
A: Going back to the first question, my answer to this one has to be fake tan. It’s more trouble than it’s worth! Eyeliner is difficult, but like I mentioned earlier I don’t stay away from it. I like wearing it if I have some sighted assistance for applying it. But fake tan is definitely a no-go zone!
 
Q: What tips would you give to a young girl struggling with vision loss who wants to get into makeup and fashion?
A: My tips would be:
1. Research – the internet, fashion and beauty magazines, friends and family, all of these hold a whole world of information. Use them! Get to know the industry and familiarise yourself with the basics.

2. Seek professional help – several high-street shops have a personal shopper service you can access. A personal shopper is someone in store who can consult you about things like styles that flatter your body shape. The consultants at the beauty counters are there to do a similar thing with makeup; they can help colour match products to your skin tone and suggest different brands that would work better for your skin type etc.

3. Experiment – I personally think of fashion and beauty as avenues to express your personality, so get creative! Try things out, find out what you like and what you don’t. See what makes you feel most comfortable/unique/confident. Ultimately it’s not about anyone else, it’s about you! So don’t be afraid to try things out until you find your personal style.
 
 
 
Q: How did you learn to apply makeup as someone who is blind or visually impaired?
A: When I first showed an interest in makeup, my mum made an appointment with our local beautician who spent almost two hours giving me a full makeover, teaching me about the different products, making me a list of recommendations and teaching me techniques. This is the absolute best thing she could’ve done and if you can do something similar I can’t think of a better way to get started. You’re always going to be better off learning from someone who really knows what they’re talking about, but who don’t have an agenda to sell you certain products like you might get at beauty counters. Now that I know the basics, I watch tutorial videos to get the idea of something and then usually ask a friend or my sister to go over something with me to make sure I’ve got it right. I recently learned to contour by spending time with a friend on FaceTime describing exactly where and how to apply bronzer, blush and highlighter on my face.
 
Q: What is one thing you think every girl should be able to do without looking?
A: I would say that lipstick is a pretty safe bet for this. You’re lips have a pretty defining shape, easy enough to follow by feel. I favour pencil lipsticks as I find them easier and more precise to apply with. As long as you kiss a tissue to get rid of any excess and make sure you haven’t mixed up your lippy with your eyeliner or something, I think anyone should be ok doing lippy without a mirror.
 
Q: Do you think not being able to see yourself effects your self-confidence?
A: This is a difficult question to answer because it’s hard for me to admit that it definitely used to. I’ve always been visually impaired, but I lost a lot of sight suddenly in my teens which I initially found tough to deal with. Part of this was due to frustration at not being able to judge my own appearance. Having to rely on other’s opinions of what looked good and what suited me made me feel like I wasn’t able to express my own personality and identity through beauty and fashion. I didn’t have much confidence in my own opinion, but found it difficult conceding to other people’s opinions too. I just wanted to be able to decide for myself. This obviously effected my self-confidence because I’d sometimes feel uncomfortable wearing things I didn’t really feel were very me. Thankfully with time I was able to find my own methods of approaching beauty and fashion, and now I’m a self-proclaimed shopaholic again!
 
Q: Name one thing you need help with when it comes to beauty and fashion?
A: The one thing I need help with is colour matching; whether that’s coordinating outfits, matching makeup to my skin tone or choosing a colour to dye my hair or paint my nails. I’m fortunate enough to have understanding of colour having grown up with more sight than I have now. So I might know enough to work out what might clash, but I still have trouble picturing things sometimes so I always get a second opinion!
 
 
Q: What is a blind girl beauty makeup or fashion essential?
A: In answer to this, I would say that a good skin care regime is essential because no amount of makeup will ever give you good skin, in fact the more makeup you use the worse your skin can get. But taking care of your skin isn’t just about cleansing, toning and moisturising, it’s drinking lots of water, eating healthily and most importantly removing your makeup before you go to sleep. That’s more of a lifestyle than a specific product, but I’d say it’s pretty essential.
 
Q: What is the best part about applying makeup as a person with vision loss?
A: I would say that the best thing is that, the fact that I don’t need a mirror means that I can do it anywhere. I’m a girl who really loves her bed, so on those far too frequent occasions when I’ve gotten up late and had to rush to a lecture or something, I’ve been able to sneakily finish off putting my face on at the back of the lecture theatre or in the back of a taxi. I also find that I’m able to do it quicker than my sighted friends – I don’t know if that’s because their taking more care with the detail, it’s just how it seems to work.
 
Q: Have you ever experienced any major makeup or fashion disasters in the past that are due to having vision loss?
A: The short answer is yes. When I first started wearing makeup, one of my teachers commented that it looked like a three-year-old had done my makeup when I went into school one day with waaaaaay too much sparkly blue eyeshadow on and made me take it off. More recently, I was on work placement and had done my makeup in a bit of a rush one morning after getting up late (I told you I like my bed!) When I got into the office, one of my co-workers discreetly told me that I had big black streaks across my cheeks. What I’m guessing happened is that I must’ve managed to smudge my mascara in my rush. I had to run off to the toilets to try to get it off, but it knocked my confidence for the whole day because I couldn’t be 100% sure I’d gotten it all off. Nothing says professional like messy war paint eh?
 
Q: Do you ever have people commenting that ‘you don’t look blind/visually impaired?’
A: Again, my short answer to this is a very big YES! I’m always being asked if I am my guide dog’s trainer, because she couldn’t possibly be my working dog right? I’m not sure whether this is due to me not looking blind or lack of knowledge about guide dogs. Though I suppose it’s true that I don’t look like the traditional stereotype of a guide dog user; I don’t wear the dark glasses, I don’t carry the cane, and shock horror I’m not on my pension!
I know that I also confuse people because I have a lot of habits that may make it seem like I can see more than I can. For example, I usually look at my phone when I’m using it, even though I’m actually listening to the speech software and haven’t been able to read the screen for years and in fact my screen is usually turned off to save battery! I also try to make a point of looking directly at people when I speak to them which some people find confusing. This is something I actively practiced when I was younger for the exact purpose of not looking obviously blind. My visual impairment has nothing to do with my actual eyes, so there is nothing physically wrong with my actual eyeballs that might alert you to the fact that they don’t work brilliantly. I suppose I could forgive people for not knowing that I’m VI just on that basis, but the guide dog by my side should be a pretty big give away to be honest!
 
Q: Do you use any pieces of assistive technology or apps to help you when putting outfits together or doing your makeup?
A: Basically, not really. I have gadgets I could use like a colour detector which announces the colour of something when it’s pressed to a material, but it’s not always that accurate. Apps like Taptapsee, a camera app that announces the object you’ve taken a picture of, can be more accurate but isn’t 100% reliable. Sometimes I’ll use my Pen Friend to label different products by stamping them with a sticker which I can record a personalised message onto that is played back when touched by the Pen Friend. But honestly I use my memory for most things. I have a sort of mental catalogue of all the clothes in my wardrobe and can visualise an item when I recognize it by touch. I use this visual bank, along with all the information I gathered when buying that item to coordinate outfits and imagine what it’d look like. I always get a second opinion the first time I wear an outfit, but I’m usually ok at guessing what will go with what. There are loads of different things out there though, so if I ever needed anything I’d know where to look.
What I would love is an app that could do the final check of my makeup for me. That would be fulfil all my #BlindGirlBeauty dreams!
 
That concludes my #BlindGirlBeauty tag! As promised, below are the links I mentioned above so please check them out if you can and get involved by posting your own #BlindGirlBeauty tag!
 
#BlindGirlBeauty tags
My tag on Audioboom Part 1: https://audioboom.com/boos/3262336-blindgirlbeauty-tag-part1
Part 2: https://audioboom.com/boos/3262338-blindgirlbeauty-tag-part2?playlist_direction=forward
Fashioneyesta: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hM24BgH1B2k
Molly Burke: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_67UjeUfUM
AsianLily19: https://audioboom.com/boos/3260863-blindgirlbeauty
BlindNotBored: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XtprcGwfN8
Beauty Within: https://wakeupandcthemakeup.wordpress.com/2015/08/01/116/
 

Speaking for Guide Dogs

On By elinIn Uncategorized2 Comments

I recently took part in a speaker’s training day for The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association. The training day took place at the Blind Veterans centre in Llandudno; a luxurious rehabilitation facility for visually impaired ex-Service men and women. I was part of a group of Guide dog owners, volunteers and Community Fundraisers who came together to learn how we can help represent Guide Dogs by speaking to the general public.

The aim of the day was to give us all the necessary information, techniques and tools to enable us to deliver presentations about the organisation. As Guide Dogs receive no government funding, they are entirely dependent on fundraising efforts and kind donations in order to keep funding the fantastic work that they do. Each dog can cost up to £50,000 throughout its lifetime, with advanced guiding training alone costing around £35,000 per dog. So I hope you’ll agree that funds are very much needed! One way of receiving these donations and recruiting more fundraisers is by delivering talks to groups, schools, companies etc. informing them of what exactly Guide Dogs do and how they can help.

Along with some helpful tips about the practical aspects of presentations, such as using PPT slides, effective use of props and engaging with the audience, we were also encouraged to tell our own stories of our experiences with Guide Dogs. Whether you’re a guide dog owner, boarder, puppy-walker or My Guide volunteer, everybody has their part to play in educating the public about what Guide Dogs do and how they change the lives of visually impaired people throughout the UK.

Some things to consider before speaking for Guide Dogs include:
· Timing – practice your talk, make note of how long it is and practice adjusting your script to fit the time you’re asked to speak for.

· Planning – Have an introduction, content (you’re experience) and a conclusion, making sure to mention ways that the audience can get involved. Use slides/notecards to keep you on track.

· Speak from experience – whatever your link to the charity, speaking from the heart will always make for a more effective presentation especially if your audience can sense your passion for the topic.

The training day was a great opportunity to meet with other locals involved with Guide Dogs and was really informative and helpful in giving me the confidence to speak on behalf of the charity. Being a bit of a newbie in Guide Dogs terms, having only had my first guide dog for six months, I now feel much better informed and qualified to answer the questions I get from the general public on a daily basis. The enthusiasm and passion of everyone in the group also motivated me to become a Speaker; to share my story with others, to inform and educate and to give something back to the charity who gave me my freedom, confidence and independence in the form of my beautiful Jazzy.

If you think you have a story to share, why not contact your local Guide Dogs Community Fundraiser who can let you know more about training and speaking opportunities. Alternatively, if you would like a Guide Dogs Speaker to visit your club, school or workplace to tell you more about Guide Dogs and how you can support this wonderful charity, why not contact your local Guide Dogs branch to organise a visit.

Visit http://www.guidedogs.org.uk to find out more about how you can support Guide Dogs.

Defying the Label: Don’t Take My Baby on BBC3

On By elinIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

The first in BBC3’s Defying the Label series, the BBC website describes Don’t Take My Baby as a “factual drama which tells the story of a disabled couple’s agonising struggle to keep their new-born baby. Based on real-life testimony, this emotional tale will call viewers’ prejudices and beliefs about the disabled community and society as a whole into question, as we learn about a situation many disabled couples find themselves in as new parents.” Wheelchair bound Anna and partially-sighted Tom undergo months of constant scrutiny and suspicion from Social Services while they’re assessed on their capability to care for their daughter Danielle, all the time knowing that one slip could mean their baby girl being sent into foster care if the couple fail to prove themselves as fit parents. Defying the Label is a series showing a range of real life stories in a disabling world. 

Personally, Don’t Take My Baby made for pretty difficult viewing. I loved the brutal honesty of the programme, something which I think was largely achieved thanks to the shared authorship with which it was written. I could identify with Anna’s determination to exceed everyone’s low expectations as well as Tom’s reluctance to concede help. Things like the 2010 Equality Act and development in technology are undeniably making it easier for people like Anna, Tom and myself to live in 21st century society, but unfortunately, a lot of the time attitudes towards disability are sadly lagging behind the times. Obviously this attitude is going to have an impact on society’s perception of disabled parents. Most people don’t even believe it possible for disabled people to have sexual relationships, let alone have children. So I hope Don’t Take My Baby broke down some of those misconceptions.

 

“Sometimes you’re told that something’s impossible and that’s when you need to fight”

 

Anna’s condition meant that her life expectancy has always been uncertain, and the dangers of giving birth posed great risk for both mother and child. At various points throughout the programme reference was made to the risk that baby Danielle might inherit one or both of her parents conditions. All of these possibilities are such that obviously require great care and consideration, but should they diminish the couple’s right to make that decision? Instead of treating them as irresponsible and selfish, shouldn’t they be helped and supported in every way possible to ensure a happy ending for the family?

 

“No one’s perfect are they? As long as you do your best, that’s all you can do.”

 

The immediate assumption was that this couple would fail to care for their own baby, despite the fact that they manage to care for themselves and each other every day. They were scrutinised for months, their parenting skills being constantly marked and tested against somebody’s criteria of what a good parent should be. Why disabled parents, and disabled people shouldn’t, be allowed to make mistakes like everyone else? Because if we make mistakes, it’s seen as weakness.

 

“Do you mind if I call you social worker number 454?”

 

Anna and Tom were constantly watched, being made to feel like everybody were just waiting to catch them out. When Anna and Tom made mistakes, it seemed that they were just proving that everyone else were right in thinking that their disabilities make them weak, faulty and incapable. When Social Services didn’t think that Anna and Tom were capable of taking care of Danielle, they had to go above and beyond to do everything perfectly. They had to be perfect in order to prove that they were just as capable as anyone else. But the truth is that they’re just as human as anyone else too; they made mistakes, they got tired, they got emotional and frustrated and lashed out at those they cared about sometimes. The point is that they should’ve been allowed to make mistakes so that they could learn from them. They should’ve been allowed to ask for help without feeling like failures for not being able to do it on their own. They should’ve been allowed to be human.

 

“You make a choice whether you’re going to be defined by your condition.”

 

Social services defined Anna and Tom by their conditions, as society defines thousands of disabled people by their conditions every day. The truth is that our impairments aren’t what disable us; society is what disables us by being exclusive, discriminating and intolerant of us a lot of the time. We all have a choice whether to be defined by our conditions or not. We can sit back and concede the lowered expectations, pity and misunderstanding that we might be faced with on a regular basis, or we can decide to fight those stereotypes. Most schools and workplaces aren’t set up all readily accessible for any disability that someone might have, but that shouldn’t stop you trying to get an education or a job. It’s your choice We can choose to be defined by our actions, not our impairments. We can choose to be defined by what we do instead of what we are.

 

“It’s your life, live by your own rules. If you want to fly, go fly…you know?”

 

Anna and Tom chose not to be defined by their conditions; they chose not to be confined to the expectations that the Social Services, their families and the rest of society had of them, they chose to live their lives as they wanted. They chose to have a baby. As a result they were mistrusted, underestimated and treated with suspicion because of this choice. They were immediately labelled as unfit parents and were forced to prove themselves otherwise before being allowed to take their own baby home. Thankfully they were able to demonstrate themselves more than capable of caring for their daughter and were allowed to take their baby home. But for thousands others, this isn’t the case.

 

“I don’t trust it. For Dani’s sake, I don’t trust it.”

 

An estimated 3000 babies are removed from their disabled parents every year. Is that really because their parents aren’t fit to care for them, or because those with the power to make that decision don’t trust the parents enough to give them a chance?

 

“It’s difficult to judge what being a good parent actually means, don’t you think?”

 

It would’ve been an entirely different programme if Social Services had the approach of assessing what help they could offer Anna and Tom with childcare, rather than taking the approach of testing the couples parenting skills with the possibility of Danielle being taken away constantly looming over their heads. We’d live in an entirely different society if we were more open to assessing how we can adjust to help people, rather than expecting everyone to adjust to doing things the ‘normal’ way. If our collective perception of disability could be more positive, more open-minded, more accepting, then maybe Children’s Services wouldn’t have to make 11,000 decisions involving disabled parents every year.

 

You can watch Don’t Take My Baby on the BBC iPlayer and the rest of the programmes in the Defying the Label series every night this week at 9pm on BBC3.