<p> Word transcript of transitions video – Tom’s story</p><p>TC: Thomas Church </p><p>TC: My name's Thomas Church, I'm 23 years old, and I lost my sight about three or four years ago, now. It was kind of, as I was applying for university, and I was getting accepted, so actually, it was a bit of a big change going into uni. I was actually applying to do a motorsport engineering course, and then obviously, realised that I wanted to move away from a physical job, because I wouldn't be able to do that. So I then moved onto a course that we shared some lectures with, which was logistics, and supply chain management. So it was kind of, a big learning curve. So I was learning JAWS, and having training sessions on that, alongside my degree.</p><p>So my job now, my position is Inbound Logistics Operations Executive. I'm on the graduate scheme at Tesco. When I was applying for Tesco, the assessment process was quite intense. </p><p>They were very supportive there to be fair, I took my own laptop because obviously they give out pens and notepads which isn’t very useful for me because I only use JAWS with my laptop. So I took my own laptop and kind of throughout the day tried to show how I would cope with a situation. They were really helpful, because the paper wasn’t electronic-based so they read that out to me and I typed the answer. Or we had to do a presentation, so I kind of just tried to memorise three main points and elaborate around them and sell that point. </p><p>Once I found out that I'd got the job, I organised with my director to come in a few weeks before, to meet him, and sit down with him. And I sort of showed him my iPhone, and how I use that. And I told him that the one thing with my sight loss is it takes me a while to get used to something, and once I understand it fully, then I can do it. So the main thing I tried to push to my employer was that it was, be patient with me. It's been quite successful so far, I think everyone knows where I stand, I make my situation quite clear to them. </p><p>I didn't use Access to Work to get this job, because I've heard in the past that it was quite a lengthy process, and it can be quite complicated. And also because I only use Jaws and Zoomtext, I managed to get my company to support me with that, and some extra training on that. So I haven't had to go down the route of Access to Work yet.</p><p>I think there is a big difference between being in education with sight loss, and being in the workplace with sight loss. I think, in education, you're kind of, you're supported in a big way, and essentially, you're paying them to teach you, and to provide you with a service. Whereas in the workplace you want to just be able to do everything, and be able to impress everyone. And I think if you're honest, and let everyone know where you stand, and still have your demands of what you need to be able to do this and that, you'll add a lot more value to the business, as well as being good at your job and comfortable. </p><p>For my information on transitions, visit rnib.org.uk/young-people.</p><p>[Music].</p><p>END OF TRANSCRIPT</p>