Navigating Daily Life with Determination in West Yorkshire

My name is Sam. I am a worker at Outlookers, a volunteer for a number of other organisations, a mum and a blind woman with a guide dog living in West Yorkshire. As you might imagine, my life is full, busy and often challenging. Over time I have become someone who is determined to find solutions wherever I can. However, the reality is that I cannot and should not always be the one expected to solve every problem I encounter.

Getting out and about is essential for connecting the different parts of my life: work, family, volunteering and simply living independently. Yet something as simple as walking down the street can quickly become a stressful and, at times, painful experience. Street clutter is one of the biggest challenges I face every day.

Poorly parked cars, wheelie bins left out on pavements, dumped household waste, advertising A-boards and temporary roadwork signage all create obstacles. Each one can block my path, forcing me to stop, reassess and navigate around it with the help of my guide dog or white cane. While both are invaluable, they are not all-seeing. There is one type of hazard they cannot reliably protect me from: obstacles at head height.

Overhanging branches, untrimmed hedges, and unmanaged foliage are among the most difficult hazards I encounter. These are not just minor inconveniences, they can feel like physical attacks. Imagine taking the time to get ready for work or an evening out, carefully applying make-up and making sure everything is just right – something that, in itself, can be challenging with limited vision.   Then imagine stepping out of your home only to be struck in the face by unseen, overgrown branches.   Hair pulled out of place. Make-up smudged. Skin scratched – sometimes badly enough to draw blood. It’s disheartening, frustrating and at times quite upsetting. What should be a routine journey becomes something unpredictable and frankly, unpleasant.

There is also a common misconception about blindness that I encounter regularly: the idea that all blind people wear sunglasses. I have a small amount of vision remaining and on very bright days I do wear them to manage glare. However more recently I’ve found myself wearing sunglasses far more often – not for the sun, but as a form of protection from these unseen hazards.  It’s not a fashion statement or a preference – it’s a necessity.  In a way, I joke that I’m “rocking the Stevie Wonder look”, but the truth behind it is less light-hearted. No one should have to adapt their appearance just to avoid injury while walking down their own street.

This isn’t about asking for perfection. It’s about awareness and small thoughtful actions that can make a huge difference. Something as simple as taking two minutes to check and trim back garden foliage that overhangs the pavement can help make public spaces safer and more accessible. For someone like me, that small act could mean arriving at work looking as calm and put-together as I felt when I left the house. It could mean avoiding pain, frustration, and unnecessary barriers in an already busy life.

Accessibility is not just about ramps and crossings, it’s about shared responsibility. By being mindful of the space we all share, we can create environments that work for everyone.  So here’s my simple ask: take a moment to look at your pavement-side space. Trim back that branch, move that bin, think about how your environment might affect someone else.  Because for me and for many others it makes all the difference.