by Sasha Summers, Vision 2020 Australia
17-year-old Lilly is your average teenage girl. She’s about to embark on her first year of university studies. She loves animals and has 2 cats (the angel cat and the devil cat), loves musicals and theatre and has even been in a professional show and oh, she got to meet Zendaya. I should probably mention that she has a wicked sense of humour, sassy disposition and a heart of gold. Lilly may have been born blind but the one thing she wants you to know is: there is nothing stopping her. Well, except for maybe her train station not being tactile and having to walk 35 minutes to the next station so she can get herself to university, but we’ll get to that.
Being born blind meant Lilly’s reality was different in some ways but the same in others. She adjusted to primary school and found a way to assimilate in every way and went through high school as well as one can (it IS high school after all) and got into her dream course at Melbourne University. Throughout high school she taught students about what it means to be blind and the intricacies about dealing with that in everyday life. She would hold classes for students to sign up to, where she would explain about different braille tools she uses and her cane that helps her get around and ways in which people could help. But, perhaps mostly, what Lilly really wants is to help people to understand that aside from one or two things, she is literally just a girl.
Lilly, what was your life like growing up and navigating being blind in your family?
Well, it wasn’t something I had to get used to which is what people assume, because this is how my whole life has been since birth. I was very lucky as my parents ensured I was able to have every opportunity I could and didn’t walk on eggshells around me or have the kid gloves on. Their perspective was never “oh that’s too dangerous for her because she’s blind”. They treated me like every other kid while making as many accommodations as possible.
How was your schooling experience from primary onwards. Did you go into typical schooling straight away? What was the accessibility like for you if so and did teachers know how to support you.
Yes, pretty much. I was not the kind of child that enjoyed sitting around to begin with. The teachers were actually great with being able to support me but going into a normal school being blind will always be tricky because children don’t really understand and also have no filter, so they’ll pick out the differences straight away and ask questions. I used to laugh about some of the questions I got growing up to be honest, haha.
In primary school teachers on yard duty would always ask kids to show me around etc so that was hard initially but then once everyone got used to it, it was definitely easier.
Once I got into high school, I made it clear from the get-go that yes, I am blind, please don’t treat me any differently at all. I explained they may see things like I use a cane to get around and I explained what it does and why I use it. I asked if you say hi to me please just tell me your name, so I know who it is etc. I just wanted people to feel comfortable approaching me and to have an understanding of how to deal with someone who is blind.
Eventually, as I was growing up it got easier but there’s definitely moments where you’re not sure if people actually want to be your friend or are just pitying you because you’re the “blind kid”.
Tell me more about that.
I guess there was quite a bit of self-doubt to navigate and doubt around friendships, but I’ve made some really amazing friends all of whom I trust completely and have no doubt around at all. I found my place as I went through high school which is great. I mean I try to just portray myself as completely normal because everyone has differences as no two people have the same experience in life. I guess my differences are just a tiny bit more noticeable than others!
Lilly, you’ve been doing work within the community to spread awareness for people who are blind or have vision impairments.
Well, I started in 2011 when I was the face of Carols By Candlelight at 4 and then again in 2017. The same year (2017) Vision Australia took me to New York with them to see the premiere of The Greatest Showman and some other things.
You know what I’m going to ask you now right, what everyone will want to know…
Yes, I got to meet Zendaya! Haha actually I met Zac Efron and Hugh Jackman as well! It was great fun and everyone was really nice. Just a slight humble brag, haha.
You also were in a professional production called The Grinning Man where you got to perform on stage as well. I know the show represents people with disabilities, which is great. I guess my question is, do you think there’s enough opportunity out there for people with disabilities in the theatrical space and enough representation?
Music is a big part of my life, especially musical theatre and this show had emphasis on people with disabilities and there was a blind character in it which is the role I was cast in. That really meant a lot to me being able to authentically portray a blind character. I believe there can be more opportunity always and I can see how much it is improving and how many companies want to do more, which is a massive step. I think a growing representation of people on stage and screen with disabilities is really important because it shows that it’s just an everyday part of life and people with disabilities are everywhere. I think it will also help people understand even more that just because someone has a disability it doesn’t make them any less capable of singing or acting. We don’t need to be hidden down the back, we can do just about everything!
We are seeing it more now on television and film. We see Nessarose in Wicked portrayed by Marissa Bode who is in a wheelchair in real life and has a disability which was a huge step in film, and I believe made history as the first time that’s been done. In Deadpool as well we have Blind Al who is blind in the movies. I believe the actress portraying her isn’t blind, but it is still a step in the right direction in terms of representation.
So, what does the future look like for you now going forward into university and what does accessibility look like at The University of Melbourne?
I am going into a Bachelor of Science this year at Melbourne University. I plan on taking it one day at a time and immersing myself in my studies while also having a social life. Like anyone going into their first year of university I’m excited, anxious, slightly overwhelmed and very keen to get in there and start this next chapter. In terms of accessibility, Melbourne University has been great in giving me all the support I need while also not singling me out at the same time. This is really important to me because I never want to be made to feel different because of the fact that I am blind.
What about getting to university, are you able to do that easily?
Getting to university has been a bit difficult as my local station, Ivanhoe Station doesn’t have the tactiles on the edge of the platform I need to be able to use the train.
Can you explain what tactiles are and why they are important, for the people who may not know?
Yes of course! Tactiles, are the yellow dots on the edge of the platform that show a blind or vision impaired person where the edge if the platform is, so they don’t fall of it. Currently Ivanhoe Station does not have them which it makes very unsafe for me (and others like me) to know where the edge of the platform is. I currently have to walk 35 minutes to the next station (Darebin Station) that does have them. This means that there’s a lot of extra effort that needs to be out in for me to learn how to get there safely, do the 35 minutes’ walk every day which adds a lot to my travel time to get to university. I should also point out that most of the tactiles are missing from Darebin as well as they have fallen off when the station was being cleaned. I really believe that something does need to be done about this so that people who need these tactiles can use the train independently without fear. However, we are being told by Metro that it’s not a priority currently for the station and will cost too much money to add them in or make the station wheelchair accessible. Metro also said that the platforms were manned and when we looked into this, we discovered that there was one person manning the station and they need to be notified with at least 10 minutes notice so that they can get over to the side of the platform to help me. This takes away from the fact that I want to be able to do things independently and is not helpful.
Has there been any public support in favour of fixing the issue and how can someone help if they wanted to?
Yes, there is currently a petition going with over 5000 signatures in favour of adding tactiles to the stations. There has been a good response from various governmental parties, one of whom I believe is taking it to Parliament as well. The public are not happy about it and even the stations aren’t happy about it. It really is time for stations to implement the use of tactiles so people with vision disabilities can independently use the station. I’m really grateful for the support this motion has been receiving as it’s affirming to me that people understand the issue at hand and want to support people with disabilities living as normally and as independently as possible.
Lilly is there anything you want to say to someone who is going through what you went though as a kid. Maybe some advice you want to give to any children who walk a similar path as you?
Don’t be afraid of anything. Take every opportunity possible. Don’t let your differences separate you but push you onward and upward. There is nothing holding back, be brave in your pursuit of what you want because you deserve it just as much as anyone else. The most important thing to remember is no two people are the same. We all have differences in this world, ours are just a bit more noticeable than others but you are just as capable as anyone else.