My name is Glen, I’m 34 and I was born with aniridia and nystagmus. I recently gave a brief description of these conditions in this video for the RNIB’s How I See campaign, which has been shared widely and had a great response.

This has also been a very big year for me, because last Christmas I moved to London from the Westcountry, which was a very big change as you can imagine.

As a result, I had to try and build a completely new social network for myself, so I didn’t become lonely and isolated. And it was a very daunting prospect, so I did a lot of research and tried my best to push my nerves aside.

And it’s been working out very well, I’m happy to say. By joining social groups and going on tours, as well as posting on my blog and my Youtube channel, I’ve been making many new friends and enjoying many new experiences.

One such connection is James from Aniridia Network UK. Since becoming friends, I’ve started to help him with the communications for charity. We both worked on the promotional film for Aniridia Day earlier this year, and I’m gradually getting more involved with managing the Aniridia Network UK email newsletters and social media.

I recently gave a public talk on how I’ve been building my social network, and have also made this video and a post on my personal blog discussing it. My key advice is to search for groups and activities that interest you and give them a go, with the right support where necessary. It sounds obvious, and I know it’s easier said than done, but once you get started, it soon gets easier, believe me. And you may well be surprised what results from it.