Blind veteran portraits featured in exhibition

The Seen Exhibition in London from 12 to 14 September, which aims to challenge perceptions the public may hold of those with sight loss, features two blind veterans supported by our charity.

Seen, hosted by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), is an exhibition of 22 portraits looking into the extraordinary lives of blind and partially sighted individuals who are thriving in their careers, pursuing their passions and overcoming barriers.

Photographer Joshua Bratt has been working on the project for two years travelling the country in order to capture their stories through his lens. 

Joshua sought people with interesting backgrounds and stories to tell who were blind or partially sighted and blind veterans Penny and Clive were two of those selected. He says: 

“I decided to take on this project to try and change the perceptions some people may have of what is possible for people with disabilities. Each subject has their own interesting story that highlights, that the sky is the limit for anyone regardless of disabilities.

“I found the project incredibly interesting, I learnt a lot about myself as well as the sitters themselves. It has changed the way I picture subjects; I now include them far more in the creative process as well as explaining to people why I do certain things and how I set up an image.”

Clive

Clive served in the British Army and was blinded 24 years ago while serving. He has been supported by our charity since 2001 and the charity introduced him to archery. He says: “When I was encouraged to try archery, I laughed. A blind person with a bow and arrow – but I thought, why not give it a go. I found it very therapeutic and soon signed up to British Blind Sport’s archery section.”

With the use of a tactile sight attached to a tripod which touches the back of his hand and a spotter to tell him where the arrow lands, Clive is able to fully engage in the sport demonstrating that with adaptations, sight loss is no barrier.

In fact, Clive is the British Blind Sport indoor and outdoor national champion, IBSA world silver medallist, and ranked number three in Europe and number four in the world. He says:

"I'm proud and honoured to be included in such a prestigious line up of professional people who live each day with sight loss."

Penny

Penny served for 22 years in the Women's Royal Naval Service and Royal Navy reaching the rank of Commander but was medically discharged after her sight deteriorated. 

An inspiration to many, Penny set up Disability Dynamics to help other people with disabilities back into work and was awarded an OBE in 2009 for her services to disabled and disadvantaged people. In 2017, Penny was awarded the Holman Prize for Blind Ambition and an honorary doctorate which enabled her to cook around the world to demonstrate that blindness does not hinder ambition.

She has produced hundreds of videos, audio recordings and a book and has her own website Baking Blind where these can be found. She also records recipes for the National Talking Newspaper Federation. Penny continues to work with government, businesses and the charity sector to improve the work opportunities for disabled people and has recently published 'It could be you..' which draws on nearly 30 years of experience in the sector helping other people overcome challenges. She says:

"Joshua's image reflects my approach to life, confident, determined, ambitious and having fun.

“Baking Blind was the result of winning an international prize but it wasn’t just about cooking across six continents with professional and home cooks. My goal was to show that life without sight can be as fulfilling as anyone else’s.”  

Visit the exhibition

The exhibition is being held at RNIB’s Grimaldi Building, 154A Pentonville Road, London, N1 9JE, between 12-14 September between 11am and 4pm. Entry is free of charge but tickets must be booked in advance via Eventbrite.