Blog by Jack Marshall, Keele student.

Hello everyone. My name is Jack Marshall and I am totally blind and moderately hearing impaired, however, that doesn’t get me down. Adaptations keep me going and enable me to thrive which is especially the case when it comes to the educational world. I have been in a pretty good selection of educational backgrounds, both mainstream and specialist, and the support that I have received during my education so far has been amazing and it definitely plays a part in where I am today, studying a Combined Honours BSc in Computer Science and Music Production here at Keele University.

I attended St Teresa’s Catholic Primary School, Stoke-on-Trent, and St John Fisher Catholic College, in Newcastle, and a residential college for visually impaired people, based in Hereford, which is called The Royal National College for the Blind (RNC.) I’ve undertaken a wide range of qualifications so far, from GCSEs and A-Levels which included subjects such as Music and German, to a wide range of qualifications at RNC including BTEC Level 3 IT, Level 3 Business, Level 2 and 3 qualifications in Braille. RNC also hosted lessons for Mobility, Living Skills and Transitional Support as well. I remember an article was published about my GCSE results in The Sentinel, back in 2017, which was great as I love to inspire others.

Inclusivity has definitely been a major factor of my educational journey as I’ve been included within a lot of opportunities. From taking part in musical groups at both of my schools, for example the St John Fisher Windband in which I played the clarinet (I even went on musical tours abroad with St John Fisher), to undertaking my Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award and taking part in circus skills workshops at RNC, these are just a few of the opportunities that I’ve experienced throughout my journey.

Adaptations have played and still play a major part throughout my educational journey and they enable me to survive and thrive. One such example of adaptation that has been evident is the tactile writing system Braille. I have used Braille in multiple forms from regular braille, braille music and even braille codes for other languages. I would like to give a shoutout to one of my support workers as she had to painstakingly learn Braille music, which is different to regular Braille, in order to teach me. Now that’s dedication! I also remember having to use raised diagrams for Maths and Science as well. Another adaptation is assistive technology, which I have used and still use various forms of. These include screen readers (software which audibly tells me what’s on screen) and a device called the Braillenote, which I used from years 10 to 13 (a computer which contains a line of Braille which pops up and you can scroll line by line.)

I hope to do my best, aim for as high as I can and to achieve a good result at the end of my degree, whilst also making the most of my time at Uni as well. Even though it is only the tip of the iceberg, I hope that you have enjoyed reading about my educational journey so far and I hope it inspires you all to dream big, work hard, stay positive and to not let barriers get in your way.