AlastairBrook1

Questions for Ben Ben Signor is a pretty normal 21yo guy except that suffers from a visual impairment and has done all his life. He is an outstanding character in the fact that he doesn't let this or anything else stand in the way of giving life the best shot he can. To what extent is your visual impairment? I was born with no vision whatsoever but then as my brain developed in the first few years of life I gained some vision. It isn't degenerative in any way which makes me lucky I guess. I am at a constant 6/60 acuity, which basically means that the detail that a normal person can see at 60 meters is the same that I can see at 6 meters. There are a lot of other areas where I struggle visually - my peripheral vision is pretty woeful meaning I can only see what's directly in front of me, I also struggle with colours and contrast and I also have poor depth perception. People often see my eyes shaking and not focusing on anything in particular and this is because I have nystagmus. This is often awkward but it's because my eyes are constantly looking for something to focus on properly. What are your interests and hobbies? People think I am weird but I am a fanatic of professional wrestling ahaha. It's clearly either something you love or love to hate but I like to think it's the thing that sets me apart from others and gets me away from the world. It's basically a man soap opera. People constantly me crap for this... actually they pretty much give me crap for everything, including my lack of vision - but I really don't mind. I get enjoyment out of people laughing whether it be at me or with me. To be honest, being relaxed about everything makes me feel like everyone else - but getting back to my interests, I actually played my first game of blind cricket recently. I was very hesitant to begin with and I honestly felt a bit out of my element but it was a good experience and I learnt a lot about people who have a similar condition to me. I feel like many people with disabilities are somewhat sheltered and therefore feel like their opportunities are limited. I've always felt like I could achieve anything if I put my mind to it, whether it's competitive or social. I probably do things that a lot of people in my situation wouldn't; I love playing video games with my mates and I don't think about how much less I can see than them. Half the time I kick their arses anyway. I love music and I make sure I keep myself fit by going to the gym so I'd like to think I am pretty well off - and yes, I am capable of getting far too drunk on the odd occasion! What do you study at university and what do you plan on doing after graduation? I study 4th year Medical Science. People always ask me "so what are you going to do with that when you finish?". To be honest, I have quite a few options but have no idea where I want to be, even in the next year. Originally I was keen on doing research but a couple of years ago I did some work experience at CSIRO in Griffith and I really hated having to spend all day in a lab without any human contact, completing repetitive tasks. I've been told that if I could get my honours, I could possibly be doing more interesting and less repetitive work but I am still not sure if that's where I want to go. I am however doing a subject this semester where I have to write a pretty massive literature review research article that could end up being published in a major scientific journal. I am writing it on recent, enlightening research on retinal dystrophies which is basically what I've got. There's obviously quite a bit of motivation for me to study this sort of thing as I always hope that one day there'll be treatment for my lack of vision, so we'll see how we go. I've always thought that being a doctor would be an interesting job as there is plenty of human contact but I think that the only type of doctor that I could efficiently be is a psychiatrist. There are always ways around seeing small things but they are time consuming and a psychiatrist isn't required to see small details so therefore this could be an option for me but it would mean many more years of study. Honestly, after 4 years of study, I'd love to be able to take a break and experience the world. I have managed to save some good money but I'd be more than willing to do some more work if it means I can travel. What the best advice you can give to other visually impaired people or people losing their eyesight? Honestly, the one thing you should never do is feel sorry for yourself. Life can be a bitch sometimes but that applies to everyone. At the end of the day, you have to help yourself and realise that there are no boundaries to what you can achieve. All you need to do is try your hardest at everything you do, especially at things you want to achieve. Try to forget the fact that you have a disability and just roll with it like everyone else.

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