North Yorkshire Mayor David Skaith on MySight guided walk

The Labour York and North Yorkshire mayor said walking with special goggles and with a cane along Walmgate was very overwhelming and made him feel vulnerable.

Scott Jobson, chief executive of MySight York who hosted the mayor, said he hoped the walk gave him a sense of the challenges people they help face.

Royal National Institute of Blind People’s (RNIB) North Yorkshire campaigns lead Lewis Winton said the powerful experience was an opportunity to show what living with sight loss is like.

It comes as Mr Skaith visited the charity, based in Walmgate, on Wednesday, March 11.

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The mayor spoke to people who work with them and to blind and partially-sighted people including about getting around York, finding support and adapting to life with visual impairments.

MySight is a local charity with more than 1,700 members which helps people live independent lives and connects them to others through activities, socialising and counselling.

The visit saw Mr Skaith try on several goggles which simulate different kinds of sight conditions including cataracts and diabetic retinopathy.

York and North Yorkshire Mayor David Skaith (centre) with MySight Chief Executive Scott Jobson (second, right) and RNIB North Yorkshire campaigns lead Lewis Winton (end right), outside MySight, in Walmgate, York. Picture is from LDRS

Charity staff then took him on to Walmgate with goggles on giving the wearer the vision they would have if they had Retinitis Pigmentosa.

The condition refers to the total loss of peripheral vision, otherwise known as tunnel vision.

Mr Skaith walked with assistance from a MySight worker down Walmgate.

He was then given a cane and walked without physical help from staff.

The mayor told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) what the experience was like immediately after the walk.

He said: “It was very overwhelming, you realise how quickly you can become incredibly vulnerable and isolated.

“If you were doing this on your own in a new environment that you didn’t know it would be incredibly challenging, you can see why a lot of people struggle to manage.

“After this, I want to make sure what the combined authority’s currently doing on its strategy for transport and on efforts to get more people back into jobs works for everyone.”

York and North Yorkshire Mayor David Skaith (centre) on a guided walk with MySight in Walmgate, York. Picture is from LDRS

MySight Chief Executive Mr Jobson said he was grateful the mayor took the time to visit the charity.

He said: “Experiences like the guided walk help bring to life some of the everyday barriers faced by people living with sight loss.

“We hope the visit gave David a sense of both those challenges and the important role MySight York plays in helping blind and partially sighted people across York live independent, confident and connected lives.”