I am losing my sight, but being aware of my impending blindness gives me the opportunity to prepare so that I can remain a productive member of society.
My current job will not be manageable as my vision worsens and so I am making some changes.
I am learning braille, and will soon start studying towards a new career in clinical psychology, with the aim of becoming a cognitive behavioural therapist.
In the event that my vision deteriorates to the point where I can no longer read before completing my education, I will need a method of making notes to continue my studies.
Even if I do make it through before losing the ability to read, I will still need to take notes about my sessions when working.
This means that having a braille note taker would be life changing.
I am keen to get one as soon as possible so that I can take advantage of all training materials and can transition with much less worry when the time comes for me to really need it.
Unfortunately all of my new plans come at a financial cost. I had not imagined finding myself in this position and unfortunately have little in savings.
I am starting to learn braille now, and should have saved enough money to start my clinical psychology training in September 2020, but things will be very tight financially for about the next 5 years, making purchasing a braille note taker an impossibility.
I don't know how long my vision will last, but it could suddenly deteriorate at any time, so the retraining must be a priority for me, in the hope that I can get through it before I am blind. However, I would also hate to miss the opportunity to learn to use this device in advance, and will worry about going blind before I can afford one meaning that I would have to take leave from, or even abandon, my studies.
This is why I am asking for help.