Childhood blindness: Daughter inspires family to change outlook

Maya was diagnosed blind at just nine weeks old

The mother of a blind two-year-old says her daughter has completely changed her outlook on life.

Maya Hughes was diagnosed blind at nine weeks old and her mother Sharn said she had been "crushed" by the news.

Ms Hughes is now raising money to support schools with sensory gardens and equipment, starting with Maya's own school in Clee Hill, Shropshire.

"There are no limits for Maya," she said. "Just adaptations that can help her achieve all the usual milestones."

When her daughter was first diagnosed, Ms Hughes said her life changed forever.

"It felt like someone had crushed me," she said. "I woke up as one person and went to bed as another."

She received support from the Royal Society for Blind Children (RSBC), which she said had helped her explore her feelings as well as offering advice for play ideas.

'Believe in herself'

It inspired the young family to look at the world in a different way and work to raise awareness to support blind children.

"Now I appreciate what I see because not everybody can see it," Ms Hughes said. "I'll take Maya outside and let her play in the leaves and let her feel the leaves and things like that.

"She's just changed my outlook on life."

The RSBC said there were almost 40,000 blind or partially-sighted children in England and Wales and they were often disadvantaged in life, with 90% of people who lose their sight in childhood never having a long-term job.

Ms Hughes hopes things will be different for her daughter and wants all blind children to get the support they need.

"I hope she'll believe in herself enough to make her own choices, have a career and maybe one day have a family of her own," she said.

"I hope she'll show the world just how much you can achieve when you're blind."