51Âþ»­

A 51Âþ»­ Leicester (51Âþ»­) graduate is showing how the pandemic has helped people living with disability after joining forces with a national charity.

Charles being interviewed by BBC's Victoria Derbyshire

Charles Bloch is a SCOPE storyteller, helping their campaigns by giving his real-life experiences on topics ranging from food shortages to job hunting.

For Charles, who was born visually impaired, it is the extension of work he began as a radio presenter on 51Âþ»­ Leicester (51Âþ»­)’s Demon FM when he had a weekly show. His programme highlighted issues affecting disabled students.

“I’ve always been been talking about these issues for years, so when the chance came up with SCOPE I was happy to get involved,” he said. “My role is to provide an example through sharing my experiences to give people an idea of what the problems can be day to day.

“I’ve talked about the problems of getting shopping delivered during the pandemic and the experience of what it’s like trying to shop with my guide dog, Carlo, as people have not always been understanding.

“It’s a way for me to help in the campaigns and my employers have loved me being able to raise these issues. I suppose you could draw a line between what I’m doing now, and what I was broadcasting on Demon FM!”


In his Demon FM days with Carlo, his guide dog. Photo credit: Amaan Rashid

So far he has appeared on BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire programme and in the national press. He juggles his media work with his full-time job in audience development at Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre.

At first, after graduating with a degree in Digital Marketing and Social Media, Charles found it difficult to get a job because employers were unwilling to take on someone who was registered blind. But with help and support from SCOPE’s careers advisors he got his confidence back and was able to gain control in interviews by being upfront about his abilities instead of letting employers focus on perceived disability.

He said: “Job hunting was a job in itself. I was applying for jobs every day but not getting anywhere. I spoke to my adviser at SCOPE at least once a week, and when I got a job, they asked me to be a case study for the service. That led to the storyteller role I do now.

“It makes me feel proud to help and play my part in helping to highlight issues facing disabled people today and helping to change things for the better.”