After a Vision-saving operation failed, Lucy Edwards went blind almost instantly. As a young woman wanting to experience life like any other young woman, she realised there was no one online that  she could identify with, so she thought “let’s give it a go”. Determined to make a difference, she uploaded her first-hand experiences to TikTok and YouTube. One of her early videos ‘blind girl does her own makeup’ went viral, gaining over 19 million views, and she became the first British blind person on YouTube to pave the way for change for visually-impaired users.

Her videos on YouTube and TikTok explore the everyday things that people assume she cannot manage being visually impaired; these include being able to use mobile apps, how she clears up after her guide dog, how to send a text, how to holiday alone, how to cross roads, how she eats, drinks and pays in a restaurant, how she reads or watches television, how she gets dressed, puts on her makeup, washes her hair, cooks, does her laundry etc. Whilst her message is serious, her medium is not, and she likes to explore these myths in an entertaining and accessible way, without being patronising to those who do not have prior knowledge of blindness.

Several years later, Lucy Edwards is now the first-ever blind content creator to become an ambassador for hair-care company Pantene, featuring in their television and social adverts, with her face across Superdrug stores nationwide. She also worked closely with them to ensure their packaging is accessible to the vision-impaired community.

She was the first blind presenter on BBC Radio 1 and Radio 4, and contributes to the BBC Ouch website, which reflects the lives and experiences of disabled people. For Lucy, radio is her preferred medium as it doesn’t involve having to watch something, she can enjoy it both as a presenter and as a listener. At Radio 4, the ‘touch’ programme she works on, is produced, reported and presented by blind journalists for blind people and is fully inclusive. She has worked alongside BBC engineers to make the BBC London studios more accessible in the future for those with disabilities, not just visual.

In 2019 she published her book The Blind Beauty Guide, a short but fascinating guide for anyone who wants help in applying their makeup, whether they have a visual impairment or not.

She has been featured on Vision Australia Radio Studio 1, on Scott Guthrie’s “Influencer Marketing Lab” podcast in 2022, BBC Newsbeat, BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour, and has worked alongside Vogue Business, the Apple App Store and the Brit Awards.

Thanks to her personal experience, Lucy is incredibly passionate about disability rights and inclusion and has worked with a number of charities. She has run at events like the Silverstone Half Marathon and the London Marathon to raise money for Guide Dogs UK, who went on to award her with the Young Person’s Achievement Award. She also works with LOOK UK, a charity which helps young visually impaired people and their families by holding workshops and talks in order to support blind people to be able to apply their makeup with confidence. In 2014, she was the keynote speaker for the RNIB summer gala alongside singer Rod Stewart; she has toured schools to promote the charity Fixers UK after collaborating in writing a children’s novel called The Superhero Dog about her now-retired guide dog Olga; and she has also worked as a digital ambassador the charity Living Paintings in which she interviews Daredevil star Charlie Cox.

LUCY EDWARDS – DISABILITY SPEAKER

Lucy is a popular choice for event hosting and speaking engagements thanks to her work in the media as well as her ambassadorial work and promotion of disability rights. She spoke at The Children’s Media Conference where she talked about the importance of making disability mainstream and how we should re-think our approach to inclusion, for both those in front and behind the camera.

She is available for TV and Radio broadcasting, video collaborations, motivational speaking, educational talks and diversity and inclusion consultancy.

Clients: Amazon, British Rail, Estee Lauder, Pantene, Rimmel, Schwarzkopf, Spotify, TK Maxx, Too Faced, TU at Sainsbury’s, Vogue Business

Call +44 1753 439 289 or email Great British Speakers now to book Blind Social Media Star Lucy Edwards for your corporate event.

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