Batley mother in bid to buy equipment for blind Mia, 13

The mother of a 13-year-old girl with serious visual impairment has launched into an effort to raise funds for much-needed equipment.
Mia Thornton, 13, is visually-impairedMia Thornton, 13, is visually-impaired
Mia Thornton, 13, is visually-impaired

Berni Thornton, from Batley, wants to buy £8,000 worth of kit for her daughter Mia (inset), to allow her to lead a more independent life.

She said: “She’s a teenager now and she’s getting to the stage where she wants to go out with her friends and just be treated like any other person.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“These pieces of equipment would make a huge difference to her life. It would mean she can learn easier and not have to rely on helpers as much.”

Mia tries out Orcam technology.Mia tries out Orcam technology.
Mia tries out Orcam technology.

The equipment in question is a braile iPad, to assist in her learning of braile, and a pair of Orcam glasses, which use revolutionary technology to take stills of written words or images and explain them to Mia using an earpiece.

“The funding just isn’t there,” Berni said, “we applied but we were given a stock response and were told they couldn’t give individual reasons for funding having been turned down.”

“She is just the most fun-loving kid. She’s so determined and she’ll never be beaten, but as she is she can’t access anything because of her sight.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Berni, who has three other children and had to stop working in order to support Mia’s needs, has organised a ‘ladies night’ event with a friend to help kick off the fundraising effort.

It will take place at Club 21 in Batley on December 7. Tickets are available for £20 and can be booked by contacting Berni directly on 07783465111.

A JustGiving page set up by Berni can be found at: www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/bernadette-thornton