I wanted to share my story to show people with nystagmus that it doesn’t have to stop you from fulfilling your dreams.
I was born with nystagmus and my parents were told I would need lots of help and wouldn’t manage mainstream school. Well I did manage it, and also managed college, university, and thereafter a masters degree in Stockholm in Sweden. My chosen direction of study was light and health, and lighting in architectural design.
I have always loved the visual arts (ironically), but lighting was most important to me because of my nystagmus. I wanted to understand how lighting contributes to aiding or in some cases impeding the visual experiences a person has, particularly with nystagmus. The lighting we apply to a space, be it a church, an airport, a restaurant or hotel, or even a street lit at night, plays a significant part in our experience of that environment. Not just in terms of atmosphere, but also in relation to way finding, and whether we feel safe and comfortable in that environment.
I completed my masters degree ten years ago, and have since built up my career in architectural lighting. It has also suited my addiction to travel as I have visited many countries to study the local architecture as well as work related travel for various projects I’ve been involved with.
Being originally from Aberdeen, I began my first job as a lighting designer in Edinburgh. My itchy feet shortly got the better of me though, and I was soon enough back in Stockholm to take up a new position in lighting there. I am currently living in Hamburg in Germany, and have very recently started up my own lighting design company, through which I hope to raise further awareness of lighting and its importance for a more inclusive environment. Not just in Germany, but internationally…..wherever my work takes me really!
