Robert Nolan is one of the members of our Board of Trustees and has just been awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours List for services to people living with deafblindness. He is also Chair of DeafBlind UK and is deafblind himself, bringing lived experience, along with many other skills to both charities. Robert was born deaf and was a young adult when finally diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa and Type 2 Usher Syndrome.

Robert says “I am deeply honoured and very proud to receive this award. I have always believed that deafblind people should be represented, including in leadership roles.”

Joanne Ardern, CEO of SRSB/RSS, commented, “We want to offer our congratulations to Rob for this well-deserved recognition of his contributions. He brings many skills to our Board, and his lived experience means that the charity is led by people who understand the challenges that our clients face, and he is one of 4 members of our board who have sight and/or hearing loss.”

Robert explains “As Trustees, our role is about governance and strategy. It is our job to set the tone and direction for the charity.”

SRSB has served the visually impaired community in Sheffield for over 165 years and its division Rotherham Sight & Sound (RSS) offers support, friendship, and services to both blind and partially sighted people in Sheffield, and people with sight and/or hearing loss in Rotherham.

His involvement with SRSB/RSS began when he retired to the Peak District from Scotland after travelling the world in his long career with Shell Exploration and Production.

He says “I joined the Sheffield Visually Impaired Walking Group (SVIWG) and that led me to SRSB. I attended meetings for RP and then was asked to get involved. I joined because it is such a good local organisation. It has a real rapport with business and the community as well.

“I was very lucky, I had a great career. I hope I can encourage others, as a role model, to have the confidence to apply for jobs and for employers to acknowledge their potential and take them on.”

Rob has a great sense of humour and extrovert personality, which help him to raise awareness about the challenges of deaf blindness. He’s given many talks promoting the work of SRSB/RSS and raising awareness of deafblindness – often using this humour to engage with people.

Rob has also, along with his wife Louise (who is also deaf), raised thousands of pounds for charity by taking on lots of sporting challenges by tandem cycling, he also takes part in runs. He has many other interests including swimming, playing guitar in a group and walking.

He says “Despite challenges, I remain an optimist. I have tried to challenge assumptions and highlight what people living with deafblindness can do, rather than what they may not be able to do.”

If your local group would like to enquire about a talk from Robert, or would like more information about our charity, please call SRSB/RSS 0114 272 2757 or email info@srsb.org.uk