Nearly 2 million people in the country are registered with a visual impairment. Of the people who are registered blind, only 4% are totally blind. The rest have varying levels of vision. Many are able to read, using magnification. However it helps enormously if reading materials and images are designed with their needs in mind.

'University Challenge' is a recent study by the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, investigating the experiences of university students with disabilities. The study's findings were quite mixed, with several areas that need improving. This report shows that there is still a long way to go since the introduction of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act (2001); many students involved in the research had experienced inaccessible services during their study.

If a student with visual impairment comes to study with you, what will they experience? What can you or your colleagues do to support them?

Art is a hobby or profession often given up with sight loss: it is visual after all. Yet as with reading there are often strategies that mean people can continue, even if in a different way. New technologies and modern art have also created new genres of art that do not rely on sight.

Healthcare environments are busy. How do you ensure that you communicate effectively with patients who are blind or visually impaired?