Jason’s
Sightline Story
I was born with my visual impairment, following a subdural hematoma where blood collects between the skull and the surface of the brain.
I can see directly in front of me quite well, however I have no peripheral vision at all. I used to love cycling quite a lot; reaching distances of 30+ miles quite easily but I am not as physically active these days.
Sightline’s telephone befriending service has provided me with the opportunity to share my life experiences so far. I also enjoy listening to the stories my befriender shares with me; the conversations range from our families to our interests and hobbies with everything in between thrown in too!
When I initially contacted Sightline to request a telephone befriending relationship, it was important to me to speak with someone who was a similar age to me.
Andrea did a great job matching me with Mario – the calls are so beneficial to me; I love chatting to him!
Mario is also visually impaired and has been an absolute mind of information, sharing his wealth of knowledge about webinars and peer support groups I can access online. We also spend a lot of time talking about accessible tech and how that can make life much easier for people who are visually impaired.
I am quite a sociable person and enjoy going out and about every week. I access a variety of sight loss support groups locally and like evenings out with friends. Some of them are musicians so if they’re playing a gig in my area, I’ll go along.
The thing I like best about my befriending calls with Mario is wondering what the next installment of “A Day in the Life of Mario” will bring each week we speak. He’s such a busy character I really enjoy hearing and visualizing what he gets up to. Be it how he’s going to be decorating his office, jobs in the garden and lots of other day-to-day things; our calls provide great enjoyment to me; I’d be so lost without them.
Mario and I could talk the hind legs off a donkey! I hope the Sightline service never ever stops.
Names have been changed to protect identities.
If you or someone you know could benefit from a weekly call from one of our trained telephone befrienders, please call 0800 587 2252 or email us at info@sightline.org.uk to find out more.
To find out more, please contact us:
(*0800 numbers are free to call from BT landlines and most mobile networks)