Brandon’s journey from education to adulthood

Faced with a mainstream education system unable to accommodate his needs, Brandon and his family endured a two-year battle for funding to attend the Royal National College for the Blind (RNC). RNC’s tailored academic and personal support, advanced assistive technology, and holistic environment empowered Brandon, leading him to a successful and fulfilling career path despite setbacks. His journey highlights the vital role specialist Further Education colleges play in transforming lives where mainstream provisions fall short.

Joining RNC meant that Brandon was finally in an environment tailored to his needs. The in-year start turned out to be a blessing as it gave Brandon time to develop his skills in Braille, Assistive and Digital Technology, and Independent Living Skills, before beginning his academic studies the following September.

RNC’s nursing and counselling team supported Brandon’s wellbeing, organised his medical appointments and helped him to manage his eczema flares. He also used the counselling service briefly when he first joined to help with getting used to living away from home.

RNC provided something Brandon hadn’t had for years – inclusion, consistency, and empowerment.

Life After RNC

In 2020, Brandon began a degree in Education, SEN, Children and Families at university. Although initial visits suggested a supportive environment, Covid-19 disruptions led to unmet promises. Miscommunications placed him in a foundation year with untrained staff and inaccessible resources. Despite his efforts, Brandon was continually let down. He fell behind and eventually withdrew.

Undeterred, Brandon went back home and sought employment. He landed a role at clothing retailer Next. Brandon said:

‘In June 2021 I applied for a job at Next. I was invited to interview over the phone and although noted on my CV, I made sure they were aware verbally that I was visually impaired and I didn’t know what my limitations would be. They gave me an assessment followed by a formal interview. I was introduced to staff and felt very welcome and was then told I’d got the job.

‘They took me out to the shop floor, we looked at the till and looked at the screens. It was accessible and I was told if I ran into any difficulties to ring up their in-house disability team. I was told if I needed anything we’ll just contact them and get you any resources that you need. It was great to have someone that would take the time to actually teach me things.

‘On my first day I was introduced to my team coach who would be with me for my training. I had online training first in GDPR, Health & Safety, Manual Handling, FCA everything to do with legislation. I whizzed through my training, then was taken to the shop floor for my till training. I enjoyed the job and when September came, I asked for a transfer to York, so that I could go back to uni.’

When back at university in York the accessibility issues resurfaced, which eventually led Brandon to withdraw again.

Brandon concluded that Higher Education wasn’t for him and decided to transfer to the Next store in Hereford where his partner lived. After six months he was promoted to Person in Charge and then progressed to Sales Co-ordinator. Brandon said:

‘This was a management style role and was quite demanding in terms of knowing commercial processes, dealing with stock, and looking at numbers. My favourite part of the job was doing interviews and training staff. I also enjoyed doing all the finance side of things, cashing up the tills and doing the admin. Ultimately, I liked being more customer-focused, so it did take a lot of that away from me.’

Eventually, Brandon accepted a role as a Residential Support Officer at RNC, supporting students through the same challenges he’d once faced. While fulfilling, he found that he missed the customer service work he had enjoyed so much at Next. Brandon reluctantly moved on, although he still occasionally enjoys a shift behind the College bar.

Brandon now works at Hereford Train Station’s ticket office, returning to the customer-facing work he loves. His journey has been far from linear — marked by exclusion, advocacy, growth, and resilience — but the transformation he experienced at RNC remains central.

‘My parents are proud — which is all I want them to be — and they saw the fight to get me to RNC as worth every penny.’

Conclusion

Brandon’s story reflects the broader struggle many young people with disabilities face in navigating a system not built for their needs.

National Star and Together Trust’s research on what comes after education highlights barriers young people with disabilities face in transitioning to adulthood. Help support our movement to make a positive impact by downloading our latest report below.