Meet Vision Australia Award 2026 winner: David Blythe AO

David Blythe AO has been an incredible advocacy for the blind and low vision community for over 50 years and is one of the recipients of a 2026 Vision Australia Award.

David’s name should be quite familiar to anyone in the blind and low vision community. He is one of the founders of Blind Citizens Australia and has been advocating for people with vision loss for most of his life.

David lost his sight at the age of fourteen after a landmine left over from the war detonated near him. For a while it looked like that would be the end of his schooling, but he learned braille at the Queensland Braille Writing Association, this time also acted a chance for David to accept his newfound loss of vision.

“When I was blinded in 1949, it was an opportunity for me to do something with my life. It was a cultural shock for me to be told that I would be working in places where I wasn’t respected.”

In 1975, David was a founding member of Blind Citizens Australia (BCA). He recalls that the main issue that people who are blind or have low vision faced is that people would talk about solutions for them, instead of with them.

“The setting up of BCA was the best thing I’ve done. An integral part of that was when we won the issue that blind people had representation at the table when things were discussed about them at the local and national level. I was very strong on non-state organisations, I wanted a national body.”

Showing others what's possible

It was on a trip to the US in 1979 that cemented David’s beliefs that there was a better way for Australians who have vision loss to achieve their dreams.

“When I was over there I saw how they were so independent with their cane and attitude, nothing seemed forbidden to them in the employment field, I talked to deafblind people who had finished uni. Back here, we were so far behind so I came back with such strong opinions on our people having control and doing what they wanted to do.”

in 1984 David was the only Australian delegate at the formation meeting of the World Blind Union (WBU) held in Saudi Arabia; and in 1992 he commenced a four-year term as WBU president. He is fondly remembered as one of the WBU’s outstanding leaders.

The Vision Australia awards were first handed out in 2006 to recognise and celebrate individuals and organisations who contribute their time and resources to support the work of Vision Australia and the wider blind and low vision community.