Blind man with a backpack

Blind man with a backpack Walking to raise awareness of macular disease

07/06/2026

We salute the humble cane

Video description

Chris sits talking to the camera holding his folded up cane with cartoon graphics popping up beside his head as he talks

31/05/2026

Adjusting back to “cane life” takes so much more effort and concentration than you might expect.

Not only is there nobody around to share the load, but that effortless flow through busy spaces — weaving around people, bins and bollards without really thinking about it — is no longer an option.

For now, I have to accept that this bumper-car of a cane is my way of navigating the world. Instead of naturally avoiding obstacles, I’m actively sweeping for them. The things I once instinctively moved around have become my points of reference.

It’s impossible to completely switch off when using a cane. You’re constantly listening for changes in surface, feeling for the dramatic drop of a kerb, or noticing the subtle incline that tells you a dropped kerb is nearby.

So how do you use all of that to board a train?

First, you take the arm of the member of staff standing beside you. Then you wait for the train to stop. Together, you walk towards the door and use the cane to find the platform edge.

With the cane resting on the edge, you position your feet carefully, your toes just over the drop. Then comes the tricky bit.

One hand holds your guide’s arm. The other holds your cane. You reach forward, searching for the grab handle, and then take a small leap of faith onto the train.

The whole process takes less than 30 seconds.

But in those 30 seconds there’s concentration, planning, trust, and more than a little courage.

For most people, it’s an ordinary part of the journey.

For me, it’s a reminder that we can all experience the same world very differently.

Altered View.

Same world. Different perspective.

24/05/2026

Over the years slow cooking and smoking has steadily become more of an obsession. It’s not without its challenges and I do have to be extremely careful around gas and naked flames, but the end results are (usually) worth the risk.

This time round, it’s a slow-cooked ham with sticky glaze. I muddle my way through using a combination of accessible tech to weigh out ingredients and monitor temperatures, and extremely heat-resistant gloves to avoid any lasting burns.

There’s definitely a lot more trial and error involved these days, and I can’t exactly rely on “does that look done?” anymore 😅 but I’ve learnt to trust timers, temperatures, smell, and instinct instead.

Truthfully, cooking like this has become about more than just the food. It’s proof to myself that sight loss doesn’t mean giving up the things I enjoy — sometimes it just means finding a different way of doing them.

And for the record… the smell coming off this thing while it was cooking was incredible.

23/05/2026

For any VI people in Surrey who fancy getting into cricket, you may want to check these guys out

Over the past few years, I’ve learned that workplace accessibility is about far more than screen readers and software.It...
16/05/2026

Over the past few years, I’ve learned that workplace accessibility is about far more than screen readers and software.

It’s about people.

It’s about the hidden support that allows disabled professionals to participate fully in meetings, navigate inaccessible systems, manage overwhelming admin and simply do the jobs we were hired to do.

I’ve written a new article reflecting on my experiences with Access to Work, support workers (or “Access Assistants” as I prefer to call them), sight loss and the growing challenges disabled people face trying to stay in employment.

The piece explores:
• the reality of working with sight loss
• the importance of meaningful workplace support
• rising Access to Work delays
• disability employment inequalities
• and why accessibility is still too often treated as an afterthought

You can read the full article via my website here:

https://blindmanwithabackpack.uk/2026/05/15/access-assistants-and-screen-readers-navigating-the-minefield-of-disabled-employment/

And if you’d like future posts delivered directly to you, you can also subscribe to my Substack here:

https://open.substack.com/pub/blindmanwithabackpack

I’d genuinely love to hear other people’s experiences too, let me know in the comments

10/05/2026

Another week, another win.

This time it was a solo train journey to work. It’s amazing what you forget and in that split-second standing there on the station waiting that leap into the unknown to cover the chasm between platform and train, so many emotions went through my mind. Once onboard, relief washed over me for the few minutes before preparing to step off again and it all came rushing back.

These waves of emotions - fear, relief, concern, solace - repeated over again as I went from train, to station, to train, to station over again until we finally reached our final stop. With just a cane and audiobook for company, I felt so isolated but this is my normal now and i must take comfort in being able to make these trips (with a little help, obviously!)

Anyway, it doesn’t sound much but what this signifies is enormous. Onwards and upwards!

04/05/2026

What you see vs what I feel.

A blurred world. Obstacles everywhere.
And a cane doing the hard work.

I filmed this on a walk into town—something I used to do without a second thought. No guide dog this time, just me, my cane, and a lot more concentration than you might expect.

Every step means listening, adjusting, and reacting to what’s around me. It’s slower, and honestly, more tiring than it looks… but it still gets me where I need to go.

👉 What do you notice first?

Video description

A first-person style video shows a man walking through busy town streets using a white cane. The footage is intentionally blurred, with a dark black splotch across the centre of the screen to simulate visual impairment. The pavement, shop fronts, and pedestrians appear hazy and indistinct. The white cane moves steadily from side to side, tapping and sweeping the ground ahead to detect obstacles. People pass closely by, sometimes stepping into the path. The environment feels busy and unpredictable, with movement coming from multiple directions. The video highlights the challenge of navigating public spaces with limited vision, relying on the cane for feedback and orientation.

24/04/2026

This is a post I’m having to share far too soon.

After just three short years, Guide Dogs UK Chester has had to take early retirement.

My backpack is lighter, but my heart is oh so heavy.

Chester is still an incredible dog. His guiding ability has never really been in question, but over time his confidence has been chipped away. Repeated incidents with other dogs — running up to us, snapping, getting under his feet — have taken their toll.

He’s no longer the relaxed, confident dog he once was when working, and it simply isn’t fair to ask him to carry on.

Guide dogs aren’t just companions — they are safety, independence, and trust. They are constantly assessing the world around us, making decisions to keep us out of danger. But they’re not robots. They feel the impact of negative experiences just like we do.

And when that confidence goes, it doesn’t just affect the dog — it changes everything.

This isn’t about blame, but it is about awareness.

If you see a guide dog out working, please give them space. If your dog is off lead, call them back. If they’re on a flexi lead, make sure it’s locked. Just a few seconds of control can make a lifetime of difference.

Chester will now go on to find the right home where he can relax, play, and just be a dog again — and he absolutely deserves that.

As for me, it’s back to the canes for now. Slower, more careful, and a little less certain.

But we go again.

Had you ever thought about how other dogs can impact a working guide dog?

11/04/2026

Well it’s been such a wonderful week off, I really don’t want to have to think about turning the laptop back on, on Monday morning!

We started our trip to Cornwall last Friday with the usual endless crawl along the A303 with Waze constantly trying to send up this way and that to save a minute here and there but the drive was worth it when we arrived at our little cottage in Mineshop, about half-way between Boscastle and Widemouth Bay courtesy of Mineshop Holiday Cottages.

Our place was down the end of an extremely narrow track which ended in a ford. And there were no other souls around aside from the owners a few doors along. The week started proper early on Saturday morning with the annual Lands End Trail going past our front door, across the ford and then up the steep muddy hill on the other side of the valley. These cars and bikes of all shapes and sizes took turns to attempt the climb and I spent an enjoyable few hours stood on a bank with my GoPro and Kath’s camera. It was quite precarious getting up there with my long-white cane but the Marshall’s and other spectators were all there to help out. It was also the first time I gave my new Pathfinder 360 cane tip a run out and must admit it did much better than expected. Not quite as good as the Huju hook, but acceptable nonetheless - Perhaps I will do a cane tip review video in the coming weeks!

After watching the cars, we had a leisurely walk down to the beach for the boys to stretch their legs and this set the tone for the rest of the week.

Typically we found a place to head out to in the morning, grabbed a pasty for lunch and then found a beach for the dogs to go nuts on before back to our retreat for the evening. Guide Dogs UK Chester had plenty of opportunities to relax after working his way around unfamiliar places but each one he took in his stride (even if he was a bit excited!) the steep steps and paths of Tintangel Castle and Clovelly were quite a shock with lots of uneven steps to navigate but he was an absolute pro as always.

This routine worked well for William as well as he got to explore new places and then have time to process the day in a calm environment. Also the super-fast wi-fi helped!

Sadly the week was over in a flash and we soon found ourselves crawling back up the M5 yesterday and back home to reality. Hopefully it won’t be as long next time before we can escape again!

Video description: A series of photos and videos starting with shots of classic cars and a video of one bouncing up a hill, then family photos at Tintangel and Clovelly and videos and photos of the dogs playing on the beach, including my cane sweeping through the lapping waves. The video ends with a photo of both dogs standing with their front paws up on a sea wall looking keenly at the water below

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