22/02/11
Nursing Times hails Faculty's Dr Chris Tye as a 'role model'
Most nurses rely on their sight to communicate with patients and observe their wellbeing. They would find doing the job without their eyes unthinkable. But for Dr Chris Tye, joint head of the Faculty's School of Nursing, it has become a way of life.
A recent Nursing Times article has highlighted Chris' success in managing a successful career in nursing and management, even working in a busy A&E department, all while partially sighted, and cited him as being a 'role model'.
Chris was in his teens when he discovered he had a rare degenerative condition, retinitis pigmentosa, that leads to blindness.
At first it had little impact on his life. He learned to drive and trained as a nurse, but gradually symptoms such as night blindness began to appear. His work in an accident and emergency department was not affected as the department was brightly lit 24 hours a day. But Chris knew he couldn't continue indefinitely with a clinical career. “With a young family to support I was worried constantly that my disability could cost me my job and my livelihood,” he said. So when the offer of a teaching job came up in the 1990s, he took it.
Over the years Chris' sight steadily deteriorated, his tunnel vision becoming more pronounced. But even then he told very few people about his condition and refused to seek outside help. “I didn't talk about it in the early days, it was a hidden disability. I should've registered as partially sighted before I did, but I found it hard to go public.” He finally registered as partially sighted in 2001, the year he finished his doctorate.
Using a white cane made Chris feel uncomfortable and clumsy but after registering as blind in 2006 he applied for a guide dog and last April Walter, a lively young black Labrador, arrived. “He's made a big difference in terms of my independence and mobility. It's easier to use public transport and I can go out in the dark – I've not done that on my own for 30 or 40 years.”
Walter is more than a working dog, he's a constant companion to Chris, an adored family pet and one of the best loved members of staff at the Faculty. He yawns in some meetings – Chris is too discreet to reveal which ones – but otherwise he keeps a low profile and lies quietly on a blanket in the corner of Chris' office. “He's a great character, people find it a lot easier to discuss disability through the dog rather than through a white cane,” says Chris.
Chris can see light. He knows, for example, when a light is on in a room but can see nothing more. Official recognition of his blindness has brought him practical help. His work computer is fitted with the latest US software that reads aloud – in a US accent - email and other electronic documents. He can touch-type, which is read back to him by the computer to allow him to correct mistakes.
In spite of his disability, Chris' career has prospered. After joining the Faculty 15 years ago as a senior lecturer in accident and emergency nursing, he has worked his way up to become joint head of nursing and associate dean for postgraduate programmes. Along the way, Chris has come to accept his blindness. “It's been a long journey and it's not always been easy - my bruised shins are testament to that - but I've now got to a place where I accept where I am. I’ve stopped saying 'if only' and learned to see things through other people's eyes.”
