"I'm fiercely independent, but I still have to ask for help in the supermarket"

Veronica Whymant, 43, has lived with visual impairment all her life after being born prematurely. She believes everyone should be able to make informed decisions about the food they buy and eat without being held back by inaccessible information.

She explains: “My vision gradually deteriorated through my teens, and I was registered blind in my early twenties. Since then, maintaining my independence has relied on determination, organisation and finding ways to adapt to a world that is largely designed for people who can see.

“I studied German at university and spent a year in Germany teaching English at a boarding school for blind children. That’s where I first realised how important braille can be.

“I was given homework in braille to mark, so I had to learn it quickly. Although my braille is still quite basic, it has shown me the power of being able to access information independently. Having lost the ability to read print as a teenager, those moments of reading something for myself are incredibly valuable.

“Food shopping is one of the areas where visually impairment can be surprisingly restrictive. I buy a lot of fresh food, but when it comes to packaged products such as yoghurt, cereal or biscuits, it can be difficult to know whether I’ve picked up exactly what I intended.

“If I’m unsure, I have to ask someone nearby for help, and while people are always kind, I’m fiercely independent and would much rather be able to identify products for myself.

“At home I’m an extremely organised person and I carefully catalogue everything in my cupboards and freezer, so I know where everything is. That helps me avoid mistakes, but it also shows how much extra effort visually impaired people have to put into everyday tasks.”

Veronica says having clear braille labels on food packaging would provide reassurance and confidence and remove so much uncertainty from her daily life.

“Braille labelling on food packaging would be revolutionary. It would give me more independence, less anxiety when shopping and greater confidence when preparing meals. Most importantly, it would allow me to make decisions for myself. That is something many people take for granted, but for people with visual impairment it can be life changing.

“This isn't about convenience, it’s about dignity, equality and choice. No one should be denied the ability to confidently and independently make decisions about the food they buy and eat simply because information isn’t accessible.

“Every day, people like me are forced to rely on others to identify basic food items, check ingredients or confirm expiry dates. Something as simple as reading a label on a packet of food without asking for help would be transformative.

“Braille sits alongside technology rather than against it. Apps and digital tools can be incredibly useful, but they are not always practical in every situation. Braille provides immediate, independent access to information. People often assume technology has solved every problem for someone who is blind or partially sighted, but it can be expensive and depends on devices, software and internet access.

“Braille allows you to access information directly, privately and independently, whether it's on medicine, food packaging, public signs or museum displays.”

Veronica is backing a new survey inviting blind and partially sighted people across the UK to share their experiences of accessing food packaging.

The survey, launched by Sight Scotland, Disability Equality Scotland and partners, aims to gather evidence on the challenges people face when identifying, storing and using food products. The findings will help inform Food Standards Scotland's Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment and support discussions with UK Government departments, including DEFRA, about future policy change.

The campaign comes amid growing calls for more accessible food labelling. Research conducted by Disability Equality Scotland in 2023 found that three-quarters of blind and partially sighted people find food labels inaccessible.

The survey is available at https://bit.ly/labelvi until October 31. For more information, visit sightscotland.org.uk.