Londonderry woman Noreen Kelly who lives with sight loss launches her own personal training business

Noreen was diagnosed with Ushers syndrome, a genetic disease that causes deafness or hearing loss and an eye condition called retinitis pigmentosa (RP), in her 20s.

Now 44, Noreen said: “After leaving school, I initially trained as a hairdresser but as my sight deteriorated, I left work and focused on raising my young family. When my kids had reached an age that they didn’t rely on me as much, I tried to return to work but really struggled and found it tough to find any support. Eventually I contacted RNIB and met Wendy Herbison, an employment advisor with the charity’s Employment Service, who convinced me to register on the RNIB SkillSET project. It was then that things started to change for me.”

After successfully completing the pre-Employment Programme, Noreen qualified as a Personal Fitness Trainer and has now launched her own business from her home gym.

Noreen said: “I knew this was my time. I had put my family first and my career on hold for years. I knew I wanted more but I just didn’t know what. But Wendy led careers advice sessions to try and tease out what I really enjoyed doing. It was simple. I loved exercise and had a modest gym at home for family use and knew that this wasn’t always available or accessible to others. It suddenly struck me. I wanted to become a personal trainer.

“I received support to produce my business plan from Enterprise Northwest and due to my hearing difficulties, Wendy supported me through this journey, taking notes at meetings, helping me research, and giving me a helping hand throughout. It was hard going. I left my school in Donegal with a Junior Leavers certificate many years previous, so it was very daunting to have to return to school to complete my Personal Training qualification. There were many times when I wanted to throw the towel in. I really depended on the support from RNIB as the journey was arduous.

Wendy Herbison, RNIB’S Employment Services Manager, said: Noreen was very motivated from the start and loved the thought of running her own business. She had the facilities at home, by converting her home garage into a gym.

We identified challenges that Noreen would have to overcome but we set achievable goals and Noreen was determined to work hard and put whatever measures in place to succeed.”

Noreen continues: “Receiving my Personal Training qualification was a dream come true. I’ll never forget the day that I received the notification that I had passed all my exams and my certificate would be with me shortly.

“I was inspired to provide an improved gym experience, Inclusive of everyone and open to all. So, I have a buddy system, if you require someone to come with you to the gym as a guide, they go free. I know from first-hand experience that it can be a very daunting experience attending a large gym if you have sight or hearing loss. They can be very noisy large open spaces, with plenty of obstacles and people to walk into.

"It’s important for me that I am upfront about my disability and use my own experience to improve my business. I want people who come to my gym especially those with any kind of sensory loss, to feel welcome and for it to be accessible. I don’t see my visual impairment as a barrier, so want to reassure others with sensory loss that nothing should hold you back. Although I’m registered blind, I have relatively good central vision, so my sight loss tends to go unnoticed, which brings its own set of challenges as no allowances are given.

“Starting my own business has really empowered me. Although I’m only just getting into my new venture, and building up a portfolio of clients, my confidence is steadily growing. I feel inspired to broaden my services and am venturing into providing nutritional advice to progress the customer journey. I’ve had some great outcomes, where clients have lost weight, reduced pain and discomfort and are overall in better health since using my service. It’s such a good feeling when you know you are making a difference and improving someone’s overall wellbeing.

“I’m all too aware of the challenges that lie ahead in starting up a business but having the ongoing support from RNIB’s Employment Team is giving me real confidence and drive.”

You can find Noreen Kelly Fitness on Facebook and Instagram.

If you’re affected by sight loss and want support in starting or staying in work, search for employment Northern Ireland on RNIB’s website www.rnib.org.uk/northernireland

Find out what it’s really like living with sight loss. For more information about #BeforeYouAsk please visit www.rnib.org.uk/our-campaigns/see-differently-see-the-person/