The CFVI – Change for the Future

Written by Maymunah Bashir, Student Voices volunteer

In December 2024, I wrote an article introducing the CFVI and how it should be used as a framework in making universities truly accessible for all. In this concluding article for the CFVI Champions, I would like to talk about Area 1 – Facilitating an Inclusive World.

Area 1 underpins all eleven vital areas of the framework. In line with the Social Model of Disability, Area 1 is all about ensuring children and young people with vision impairment can thrive in environments that are ‘enabling’ not disabling, by removing environmental barriers through promoting inclusive attitudes and practices.

An amazing area, right? But the deeper question comes next, how can this be achieved?

Building Your Toolkit for Life

I truly believe that skill development in our education system should be given as much emphasis as academic progress if not more. For a child or young person with a vision impairment those touch typing, braille, assistive technology, and cane skills to name just a few, are so important not only for our personal growth but for our professional development as life-long learners. By the means of acquiring these skills, we are better equipped to move from learning to access to having the ability to take ownership to access our learning, and prepare for our transition into the adult world. It is that vital specialist support provided by VI professionals that acts as a means of facilitating an inclusive world, and access to these services should never be a barrier no matter what part of the country you live in.

The Student Voice Matters

When we talk about facilitating an inclusive world the best people to turn to are those of us who are visually impaired ourselves. We as the children and young people of today, know what barriers we face in our learning. We know the challenges and the obstacles that go unseen by many others, so we need to be put at the forefront of the process. We need to be empowered by those around us to share our lived experiences so that our vision right now can become the change for the future.

Final Thoughts

We all have a role to play in creating a truly inclusive world, whether it’s through the big decisions that are made in the law or the smaller but by no means less important, everyday choices we make. We call for equitable access to specialised VI services up and down the country. We call for action to ensure inclusivity is not just a tick box, but a force for good that brings about the change needed to enable children and young people with vision impairments to flourish.

As I take a moment to reflect on my own journey, having been in the education system for approximately 17 years now, graduating from university last year, what has inclusivity meant to me personally? It’s meant being able to educate, advocate, open the conversation, overcome hurdles and most importantly, to have a sense of belonging and that feeling of being accepted for who I am.

Now I’d like to take this opportunity to keep the conversation going. I invite you to take a moment to pause and reflect, what does facilitating an inclusive world mean to you? How can we work together to make it a reality for all.