Hello everybody!
I am Jonathan Sheils, I joined the BiB team in May as an employment coordinator. My primary focus is to help blind and partially sighted people access work experience and internships, an incredibly exciting and rewarding position. Since joining the employment team, I have had the pleasure of supporting Chantelle and Joe in their incredible work with students, graduates, universities, and employers. I’ve also worked closely with Tyana in our training team to develop in person and online work experiences for our younger cohort. The New Year fills me with excitement, as an increasing number of employers pledge their commitment to our Work Experience program, it promises to be a busy 2024!
My employment history has equipped with the experience to embrace the fabulous opportunity that lie ahead. As a graduate, I embarked on a management career in the retail and hospitality sector, a journey that led me into area management for a global corporation. I then chose to pivot this experience into the world of recruitment, which ultimately offered me the chance to fulfil my long-held ambition of running my own business.
In 2018, my path was disrupted by a relatively rapid loss of sight caused by an undiagnosed genetic eye condition. It turns out that I was born with Best Disease, a condition that impairs my central vison, making reading, writing, facial recognition and watching TV more difficult. It also resulted in me giving up driving, a loss of freedom and spontaneity that I initially found very difficult to reconcile. I’ve learnt to adapt to many of these changes by utilising inbuilt magnification tools found in PCs and mobile devices. I also embrace audio books and podcasts, and now find that there are not enough hours in the day to listen to everything that I would like!
Time has enabled me to develop a positive prospective to my situation. If it wasn’t for the amazing friends that I’ve made participating in VI sports, I would have never been introduced to Blind in Business. I can honestly say that I love my work!! The chance to use my skills and experience to help others fulfil their aspirations, is a genuine privilege.
Interesting Fact (and unashamed boast): I am a member of the victorious England Visually Impaired Rugby Team which won the inaugural International Rugby Tournament hosted in France this year to coincide with the Rugby World Cup. At least one of the home nations teams came away with a gold medal in 2023!