This is Y December 2020 Digital Edition

EXPERIENCE
SENSE-
SATIONAL
When it comes to embracing
new experiences, there’s very little
off-limits for the Yorkshire-based
adventure seeker Amar Latif and
even more astounding is, that at
the age of 18, Amar lost his sight.
PICTURES DAN PRINCE
Left: The excitement and
anticipation of driving off-road.
Above: Amar at The Coniston
Hotel and Spa.
As a youngster in Glasgow, I was diagnosed
with retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic
disorder of the eyes that causes loss of
vision. At school I would crash into things,
I’d hit the hurdles or miss the rugby ball
in sport. I struggled in lessons and my desk had to
be moved to the front of the classroom. In my late
teens, as the doctors had predicted, I lost 95 per cent
of my sight. Waking up and not being able to see the
Madonna poster at the end of my bed or the faces of
my parents and siblings, I realised that the day had
come. I was blind!
Losing my sight seemed like it was the end of my
world. A downward spiral of feeling depressed ensued
as I was surrounded by friends enjoying their teenage
years, learning to drive and gaining independence.
After several months it dawned on me that I had to
switch my mindset and look at things in a positive
way. I graduated with a mathematics, statistics and
finance degree, spending my third year studying in
Canada and sparking my love of travel. Everyone
around me was completely shocked at what I’d
achieved. Many had said that a blind person couldn’t
study to be an accountant, but I went on to be Head
of Commercial Finance for British Telecom. Not bad
for a bloke who can’t see!
Blindness gave me my love for adventure and travel.
Lack of sight has heightened my curiosity. Some travel
companies rejected me when they realised I was a blind
person travelling independently, so I set up Traveleyes,
my own company taking groups of sighted and blind
people on holiday, offering trips to over 70 destinations
across the world.
The BBC were looking for people with disabilities
to take part in Beyond Boundaries, a TV documentary
throwing together strangers with different physical
challenges and sending them on a big adventure.
yorkshire.com 59