Home town/country:

Copenhagen, Denmark. I currently live in Birmingham, England.

What courses did you study?

  • AS Psychology
  • IELTS English Language Test
  • Massage (achieved diplomas in Swedish holistic massage, on-side chair massage, sports massage, Indian head massage, and aromatherapy).
  • I also had cane mobility training, Level 1 in Braille, an IT course in the use of the Jaws screen reader, and a cooking skills course.

When did you study at RNC?

I studied at RNC from January 2016 to July 2017. In the first 6 months of my College journey, I participated in different classes including Psychology, English Literature, and Sociology where I did independent course work, primarily to improve my academic English written skills. I additionally completed a test in IELTS with Lisa Roberts – a test that I needed in order to gain access to universities in the UK. I went to Bristol to do the test and achieved a score of 8 out of 9 which I was really pleased with. In my second year at the College, I completed AS Psychology where I achieved an A, and did the different massage courses mentioned above.

How did you adjust to the culture shock of moving to a new country?

It was definitely a massive culture shock moving to England from Denmark where I had lived all my life. I had lost my sight only a year prior to coming to RNC, so that alone made it daunting. My English has always been quite good, as we learn English in school from a young age. However, you don’t realise until you actually move here that everyone has very different dialects, and I was really struggling with understanding what most people were saying. To me it all sounded really fast and there was a lot of slang, so I was getting so confused all the time. In addition to this, it also made me quite tired adjusting to speaking a new language and I often called home to talk to my friends and family. However, while I felt quite homesick at first I very quickly got used to being there and I really enjoyed it after just a couple of weeks. I quickly learned to understand what people were saying, got used to all the slang and got to know the people at the College. If there was anything that I didn’t understand I just asked, and everyone was really helpful and were happy to explain things to me.

How did you find the academic courses at RNC?

The academic courses at the College were brilliant. One thing that I particularly loved was that the classes are small. This meant that the teachers had more time for each student, and I really felt that they were able to give the best support so that we were able to use our full potential. It is quite unique being in such a small class. While I found it slightly difficult adjusting to writing in English only, I quickly got used to it, and because I have lived in England for so long now, I am probably better at writing in English than in Danish at this point.

In Psychology, which was the course that I did in my second year at the College, we completed an assignment each week and had lots of tests, so I really felt that my understanding of the different topics covered was really good, and I felt completely prepared for starting the undergraduate degree in Psychology, despite having only done the AS Psychology course.

What was the social life like at RNC?

Because the College is so small and because there are not that many students compared to a mainstream college, the RNC has a really strong community. Everybody knew each other, so it almost became like a family. I was a resident student, which meant that I also lived on the College campus. When we did not have classes, there was always someone to hang out with and there were so many opportunities to socialise. My friends and I would go out for food in Hereford, spend time in the common room where we would just chat for hours, go to the student bar, or go shopping or to the cinema in town. We also had little parties at the College sometimes which was a lot of fun. I loved always having someone to talk to, but it was also nice that everybody had their own room so there was space for relaxing and doing work by yourself.

What happened after you left RNC?

When I left the College I went straight to the University of Worcester, where I completed a Bachelor of Science in Single Honours Psychology. I had three great years there, where I made new friends and made lots of memories. In my first year I lived on the campus, which was really useful as their campus is small, so I was able to find my way around independently. In my second and third year I lived in a student house just down the road from the university campus. Going to university straight from RNC was quite challenging at first. It took some time adjusting from being at a specialist college where you were in the same boat as everybody else due to everybody having a sight impairment, to going to a much larger scale mainstream university. However, the university has a great disability department, and I quickly became really good at communicating my needs with all the lecturers and other staff members. I feel that my time at RNC gave me a good understanding of what extra support I may need for succeeding, and I am so grateful that I learned to use the screen reader Jaws while at the College, as that was the main tool that I used at university. I graduated from the University of Worcester in June 2020, and received a First Class in Psychology. I could not have been prouder or happier, as it is definitely more challenging and time consuming to complete a degree when you are blind, but everything is possible if you really fight for it and keep a positive mind set.

What do you do now for a career?

I am currently volunteering for several charities and organisations to gain relevant experience. I am a telephone listening volunteer for Samaritans, telephone befriending volunteer at St. Mary’s Hospice in Birmingham, youth mentor at the Way Youth Zone in Wolverhampton, and a companion caller for the Alzheimer’s Society. I also recently did a placement with a blind psychologist in Denmark to see how she is working day-to-day, and I was a fly on the wall while she was working with clients. This was really enriching and gave me a good insight into what I would like to do as a future career, namely to work as a psychologist myself. I would absolutely love to have my own practice in the future.

I will soon be applying for an MSc in Psychology in Denmark, as my English boyfriend and I are hoping to move to Copenhagen soon. In order to work as a psychologist in my home country, I will have to complete an MSc there to gain the correct authorisation.

What is your best memory of life at RNC?

My best memory is being around your friends all the time. It was great that we were able to do everything together, like going to lessons, hanging out after College, and doing lots of other activities. The social life there was so unique, and I don’t think I’ll ever experience the same sense of community as I found there. I also loved that everyone around you really understood what it was like having a disability. It was nice feeling like everybody else, and that you could make lots of jokes about your blindness because everyone just got it.

What is the best advice that you could give to a young person with a visual impairment who is currently going through the careers / transition process?

Grab any opportunity that comes your way, as it will only be an advantage if you have that extra level of experience. It can be quite overwhelming to think too far ahead, so focus on the next step that you would like to take and remember to think about everything you have achieved already. If there is anything that you find difficult, then don’t be afraid to ask for help. While some things may seem scary or overwhelming now, I always find that it does not take long to adjust to new challenges. The best thing you can do for yourself is to have a positive mind set.

Caecilie Valla Broman – January 2022