Visually Impaired Students Find Inspiration in Chris McCausland’s Strictly Success

Students with visual impairments at the college previously attended by Strictly Come Dancing personality Chris McCausland have described his achievements in the contest as “inspirational,” stating that it has challenged preconceived notions regarding their capabilities. McCausland, a comedian, attended the Royal National College for the Blind during the 1990s. He was born with retinitis pigmentosa, a hereditary eye condition. At the Hereford college, teenagers are participating in dance lessons. Similar to how Chris’s partner Dianne Buswell provides guidance, their instructor offers additional verbal descriptions for every movement to facilitate their learning. Amy Griffin, 18, commented, “I really enjoy it – it’s really liberating. It just gives me a sense of freedom.” She further stated, “I just feel like, for the first time, I’m actually taught properly from a visual impairment point of view.” Amy characterized Chris’s performances on the popular program as “absolutely amazing.” She expressed, “I really hope that he can win it. It would be really cool to see someone who’s visually impaired like us winning Strictly.” Amy, who hails from Harrogate, lives with the congenital eye defects microphthalmia, anophthalmia, and coloboma. Similar to numerous other students, she views Strictly using audio description, a feature where a voiceover narrates the on-screen actions. She remarked, “I enjoy listening to what the judges say after each dance.” Lizzy, another student, explained that the voiceover would provide descriptions such as “there are two dancers on the stage, they both are wearing dancing outfits that are sparkly, they make arches with their arms and skip in circles and then link arms and spin in a square dance-like fashion.” She further elaborated, “Having audio description is really important to me as it allows me to watch the same things as other people and not miss out on a detail that could be a major part of the programme.” Chris has maintained a close relationship with the college, where he pursued A-levels in maths, further maths, and computer science. In 2022, he generated £6,500 through a benefit comedy performance commemorating the college’s 150th anniversary. Jessie Levison, who experiences severe sight impairment due to a genetic condition, expressed her conviction that Chris’s future would be promising, regardless of whether he won the glitterball trophy. Jessie, from Ashington, Northumberland, remarked, “I’d never, ever heard of him before Strictly and I think after Strictly he’ll just become very, very famous.” Student Alyssia characterized his success as “surreal.” She commented, “I think he is quite inspirational for a lot of people.” Alyssia added, “It’s just nice to see someone who is visually impaired really thriving. We hear a lot of really not good employment statistics about visual impairment, so it’s good to see someone actually living a good life.” The 17-year-old participates in specialized ballet classes offered at the college. She stated, “I think there’s a trope that visually impaired people can’t dance, but these sessions really make us feel seen.” Alyssia concluded, “They show that yes, we can dance and we can dance pretty much the same as anyone else, we just need a bit more description. Some people think that people who have visual impairment can’t really do anything, or can’t do much with their lives besides piano tuning. That’s not true in this modern age.”