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Diagnosed with glaucoma in 2018, Keith was declared legally blind in 2020. 

After being referred to Vision Australia, Keith has received a range of different services that have helped him maintain and build different skills. 

“The Vision Australia team have been amazing, they’ve helped me with orientation and mobility training, technology training and occupational therapy which has helped me find different ways to adapt to everyday activities,” Keith said. 

“Since losing my vision, my aim has always been to learn new ways to do things, and Vision Australia has heled with that. 

“An important way they done that has been learning new ways to cook. My wife and I share the cooking at home and when I lost my vision I couldn’t cook for her. 

“But now I’ve learnt new ways to be safe in the kitchen, and I can have dinner ready for her when she comes home.”

Taking on a new challenge

Away from home, Keith has also used his new skills to take up a new sport. Previously a golfer, Keith has taken up lawn bowls after losing his vision. 

“I’ve always been competitive and I found that golf was just becoming a bit too challenging, so I took up lawn bowls. It’s become a big part of my life. I’ve won gold medals at the Vision Impaired Australian Open and I’m also helping other people learn how to play.” 

With the skills and confidence Vision Australia has helped Keith build, along with his competitive and driven nature, he plans to use lawn bowls as a way to help others who are blind or have low vision to understand what they can continue to be confident, connected and independent members of the community. 

I want to keep competing at the highest level and can hopefully represent Australia internationally. It’s not all about winning medals and that sort of thing though, I really enjoy helping to grow vision impaired bowls and getting others involved.

“Losing my sight has changed my life, but it hasn't stopped me doing the things I love. Lawn bowls has shown me just how much it still possible.”