My name is Maymunah, and I am 19 years old. I am currently studying Psychology at the University of Birmingham.
What can I see…?
From a very young age, I lost my vision in my right eye due to a condition called Coats’ disease and I have significantly reduced vision in my left eye. Therefore I am classified as severely sight impaired.
Where did I hear about LOOK?
The first time I heard about LOOK was at a Sight Village event when I was in secondary school. I remember being handed a leaflet about the Peer Mentoring Scheme and thinking, what a great opportunity this was to give something back to the VI community which I am proud to be a member of.
A few years past and the time came where I felt I wanted to apply to become a mentor. The main motive for this was that I am keen to share my experiences with other individuals living with visual impairments so that I may be able to support them the way in which I was very lucky to have been supported throughout my school life. I knew this wasn’t the case for everyone, so wanted to be part of the movement that changes that.
My experiences of Mentor Training
The mentor training sessions were a wonderful experience. My hopes of being able to connect with other individuals with similar aspirations and to expand my knowledge of the breadth of issues that VI individuals faced were met as well as much more!
My advice to anyone thinking of becoming a Mentor…
Just give it a go! It is an extremely rewarding role which will enable you to make a difference to the VI community. At LOOK, the organisation centres around its mentors and mentees, so your experiences may not seem much to you but sharing them with others will make them invaluable. The Peer Mentoring Service at LOOK is so unique and allows VI individuals to be connected. Having that connection, can make all the difference in navigating what at times can feel like a very sighted world.
