A blind member of the LGBTQ+ community has called for there to be more conversations around the struggles disabled members of the community face. 

Andreas Findlow moved to Banbury from Sweden in 2022 and now works at charity MyVision Oxfordshire.

He said: "My visual impairment led to low self-confidence and sense of self-worth, and as a result I put up with being treated extremely badly.

"I was led to believe that I couldn't and wouldn't be independent as a visually impaired person."

He "suddenly" lost his sight completely in 2017, which he said was "unexpected".

He said: “I had surgery and then when I woke up, I just couldn’t see anymore.

"At first it was a huge change. I couldn’t do anything that I was used to. I had to re-learn how to do most things.”

He received help and support from those around him, which allowed him to regain his sense of independence.

He also developed a spiritual side, practicing reiki to improve his mental health.

Mr Findlow moved to Banbury to live with his husband and has had to adjust to moving to a new country with a visual impairment, but he said it has been "exciting".

In regard to being a visually impaired person in the LGBTQ+ community, he said: “There isn’t a lot of visibility of people with disabilities who are also LGBTQ+ and the way to change that is for people to just talk about it more and make others aware.”

He said he enjoys LGBTQ+ events and his experience has been positive, but he would also like to have more options.

According to Mr Findlow, online platforms have been helped him to connect with other members of the community despite facing challenges due to a lack of accessibility features for visually impaired people.

He said: "With social media, it’s much easier to connect with other members of the community."

He is vocal about the importance of open discussions surrounding the challenges faced by disabled people and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

He said: "The important thing is that someone will have to start the conversation. It’s not rocket science; we just need to talk to each other.”

Speaking on the importance of Pride month, he added: "It’s very important to celebrate who we are and to celebrate that over quite a few years in many parts of the world we managed to get a lot of rights we didn’t have before.

"We also celebrate Pride in solidarity with those in the world who can’t take part in pride and don’t have rights because they are part of the LGBTQ+ community.”