About Heather M. Dakin

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 Heather M. Dakin has been severely sight impaired (blind) since birth, but that hasn’t stopped her from living a full life. Born in the famed city of New Orleans in the United States, Heather has carried the essence and energy of that place with her, infusing  it into all of her endeavours, including a blog, course creation/facilitation and her books. 

She grew up in southern Pennsylvania, where she discovered in her early teens that she was quite different from her sighted peers and would thus need to forge her own path. First becoming a white cane, and then a guide dog, traveller, Heather accepted a place at Wilson College and completed her Bachelors Degree in English in 2007 before moving to Maryland to work, all the while accompanied by her loyal, fun-loving Seeing Eye®dog, Rafe.

 In 2008, Heather was accepted at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom, where she completed her Masters in Creative Writing in 2010. She met her husband during her studies and now resides in England. 

  Heather’s goal has always been to help improve access for those living with sight loss and to empower individuals to live the best lives they can. From her first major public speaking engagement in 2005, she has continued to educate and raise awareness of the many challenges those living with sight loss face, with a particular focus on businesses. From 2019 to 2023, Heather created and facilitated staff development courses through Second sight Training and Consultancy, offering a unique immersive experience, and it was from this new vantage point that participants were able to reexamine current practices within their organisations to see where improvements could be made.

Given that sight loss can happen at any age and for a variety of reasons, Heather continues to champion accessibility, as it is essential in order for businesses to not only recruit new staff, but also retain valued employees. Many businesses are simply missing out on a pool of capable, talented individuals due to outdated practices, procedures and modes of thinking, and Heather’s work aims to highlight misconceptions an inaccuracies to allow for introspection and reconsideration. This second look offers opportunities for change and growth.