Meet Priyal
My name is Priyal, I am 21 years old and have been severely sight-impaired since birth. I am a LOOK Mentor and want to talk about why I chose to volunteer to celebrate National Volunteering Month and hopefully encourage you to do the same!
Where It Began
From a young age, I loved helping others. Whether it was something I was born with or learned along the way, I’ve always found joy in supporting people. Growing up with a visual impairment, I often felt misunderstood and wondered what it would be like to feel truly heard and empathised with.
That sense of understanding first came during my time in high school and sixth form, where my teachers gave me constant encouragement. Their support meant so much to me, and it inspired a strong desire to pass that feeling on—to be that same source of encouragement for someone else navigating life with a visual impairment.
More recently, I’ve come to realise that volunteering doesn’t just help others—it’s had a huge positive impact on me, too.
Why I volunteer with LOOK
I only recently started volunteering with LOOK and have been extremely passionate about getting as involved as I can, the main reason: I don’t want young people to continue to face adversity alone, I want to be able to lead by example and inspire young people with visual impairments (VI) to chase their dreams regardless of how challenging or scary it may be.
The career path I decided upon was law. Not only do I have my heart set on becoming a corporate solicitor, but I also want a busy work-hard-play-hard lifestyle, which may be the ADHD talking, but that is besides the point! I knew from the beginning that this career would be challenging even without adding my VI to the mix, but lead by example, right? I have faced challenges and learnt a lot about how the legal field handles disability, while it hasn’t always been ideal, it has only made me more determined to encourage change. I am loud when it comes to advocating for myself and want the young people I volunteer with to feel inspired to do the same.
I understand how difficult speaking up for yourself and about your disability can be. Being a mentor means teaching mentees how to go about these things in a way that suits them. Supporting mentees in creating action plans to achieve their goals is a vital step towards building a more inclusive future for people with disabilities. This process builds confidence, and confidence fuels advocacy.
Advocacy is a skill that needs to be nurtured; providing tips and advice on how to strengthen this skill is another fantastic part of the role when you’re a LOOK Mentor.
What Volunteering at LOOK Means to Me
Throughout my undergraduate degree, I have realised how fast-paced this world has become. While it’s fantastic to have dreams and ambitions, it is just as important to remember to give back when we can. Volunteering to me means protecting and nurturing my morals, I strongly believe we can be successful while bringing others up with us by sharing our advice and experience.
Volunteering doesn’t stop when we log out of our mentoring apps or leave fundraising events, it is a continuous thought process I have. ‘‘How can I improve this for someone with a VI? What can I learn from this to share? What can I teach employers about disability inclusion at this event?”. It becomes part of your daily life and encourages you to make changes everywhere you go.
Volunteering to me means striving to create the world my younger self would feel most confident and happy in, where she would never need to question whether she was able enough to chase after a certain dream. You gain the skills of compassion, empathy, leadership, and so much more.
Become Part of the Change
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from volunteering, it’s that small actions add up to big change. By giving your time, your voice, and your experiences, you have the power to shape a more inclusive and supportive world. Whether it’s mentoring, fundraising, or simply sharing your story, every effort counts.
Volunteering with LOOK has shown me that representation matters. When young people with VI’s see mentors who have faced similar challenges and still pushed forward, it reassures them that they can do the same. It’s about breaking down barriers, shifting perspectives, and making sure no one feels like they have to navigate life alone.
So, if you’ve ever thought about volunteering, take this as your sign to get involved! Find a cause that resonates with you, lend a hand, and be the role model that your younger self might have needed. You never know how much your support could mean to someone, so why not take that first step today?
A huge thank you to Priyal for sharing her volunteering journey and speaking so passionately about the incredible impact volunteering can have—not just on those you support, but on your own personal growth too.
If you would like to find out more about the LOOK Mentoring programme, click here.