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Logan was diagnosed as visually impaired when he was just 5 months old, and after meeting his Vision Support Teacher (Sally from Sheffield City Council’s Vision Support Services), Logan’s mum Lorraine was reassured that she wasn't alone in dealing with his visual impairment. This is where she first heard about Sheffield Royal Society for the Blind (SRSB).
From being a baby, Logan used to attend SRSB’s Little Sparklers Playgroup where his family enjoyed meeting
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other families whose children also had visual impairments.
Logan was diagnosed with nystagmus and a cortical visual impairment due to grey matter misplacement, and other various impairments which meant he has always had poor motor skills and balance issues.
Lorraine describes how “Initially it was a massive shock, but after meeting Sally and other families at Little Sparklers it made me feel like I wasn’t alone. Its hard initially, you just think of all the things Logan will never do, rather than the positives. I will be eternally grateful to SRSB and Sheffield Vision Support Service for helping us, and explaining to Logan’s school teacher how his vision can affect him in school, and also how nice it is to meet with other families during school holidays,trips and social events.”
Lorraine goes on to talk about an activity that SRSB worked on with Nathan Geering from Rationale Arts. “I first heard about Nathan Geering’s breakdancing classes and wasn’t very keen on the idea, due to the fact we can barely get through a day without a fall or bump, but after discussing with Logan, he wanted to do it. He never participates in after-school clubs as he didn’t feel confident about taking part. So he decided to attend the breakdancing because there would be other kids like him, and from the first session he loved it, he always had the support he needed and the Rationale team couldn’t have been any more helpful and patient.“By week 8 he was so excited to be going to see his new friends and doing something we’d never thought possible. Logan falls and bumps into things frequently, but by the end of the sessions he was falling less frequently meaning he was not hurt as much, and he became much more in tune with his spacial awareness.
“My advice to any parent with a child with visual impairment is to reach out and get help, it can be scary but there are groups and support out there. And always think positive, about the things your child can do rather than what they may not do.”