David Blunkett (born June 6 , 1947 ) is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Home Secretary since 2001. He has been blind since birth.
Born in Sheffield, he grew up in poverty after his father was killed in an industrial accident. Educated at schools for the blind in Sheffield and Shrewsbury, his chances in life seemed limited. Nevertheless he won a place at the University of Sheffield and became the youngest-ever councillor on Sheffield City Council at the age of 22. He became a well-known figure as a left-wing council leader in the 1980s, and was elected to the Labour Party's National Executive Committee.
After Labour's landslide victory in the 1997 general election he became the UK 's first blind cabinet minister as Secretary of State for Education and Employment. Blunkett's guide dogs – Teddy, Offa, Lucy, and now Sadie – have become familiar characters at Westminster, but in general his blindness does not arouse much debate. During a visit to India in January 2004, Eyeway met with him and asked him about his life and career.
My dreams were pretty much those of any small boy, although it became apparent eventually that I wouldn't be able to drive a train or a bus!
I really wanted to be a teacher, although I was interested in politics from a very early age. Clearly, being a politician wasn't an immediate job prospect, so there had to be a career and I really did think that I wanted to teach.
Obviously this took some considerable time to achieve - not least because many people were very reluctant to think that I could be a teacher, other than that of music (where many blind people in Britain in the mid 20 th century had achieved great things). I love music, but I wasn't very good at it. I was more interested in teaching politics and history. Eventually I taught politics, public administration, and industrial relations in post-16 further education, having qualified as a teacher for further education when I completed my degree as a mature student at the University of Sheffield. My degree was in politics (political theory and institutions).
Whilst I was still a student at University I was elected to the Sheffield City Council. Sheffield is the fifth largest city in the United Kingdom and is based in the county of Yorkshire. It is famous for stainless steel, cutlery and silverware. South Yorkshire has direct links with the police service in the Punjab (the Academy which I visited while I was in India ).
I really got interested in politics at the age of 12 or 13, but this came to fruition at the age of 16. I had a teacher of history who was inspirational in terms of putting across the absolutely critical connection between the past, present and future - and an understanding of how the past affects the present and how we can learn from that in terms of shaping the future.
Because I had to do my qualifications the hard way (going to evening class and then when I had a job, taking a day a week off from work to go to college) I really valued education very highly. When I went to University I was able to work at a very high level, whilst still playing my part as an elected representative on the City Council.
At the age of 28 I became Chairman of the Social Services in the city of Sheffield, and at the age of 32 the Leader (Mayor) of the Council. In 1987 I was elected to Parliament for a seat in the city of Sheffield. After 10 years in opposition (when I dealt with local government, health, and subsequently education) I became the Cabinet Minister responsible for education and employment in Tony Blair's government in 1997. In 2001 I became the Home Secretary, covering the whole range of interior issues from policing through to nationality, immigration and counter-terrorism.
The key lesson that I have learned is never to take 'no' for an answer. You always have to know the boundaries of what you can do - hence the fact that I had realised as a small child that if I couldn't see then I wasn't going to be able to drive a train, or a bus, or fly a plane. However, having tremendous aspiration and being prepared to go for it involves tenacity. That tenacity has seen me through, although it is necessary to avoid it becoming stubbornness and awkwardness with other people. There is a tendency, if you can't see, not to realise that you are irritating other people quite as soon as it is appropriate!
Sensitivity is therefore necessary in being both prepared to keep going when others would give up, but without irritating people to the point where they stop being supportive and helpful. This is the second lesson. All of us need someone. We all need each other and my politics and my philosophy for life has been based on the belief that if people are prepared to help, it is an obligation and a duty on all of us to help ourselves. In other words, this is a mutual operation. If we are prepared to do something then we should ask that other people are as well.
The challenges have mostly been those of a practical nature. All the normal challenges that a youngster faces going through adolescence were underpinned by the difficulty of being able to make easy contact (including eye contact) with my peer group when I was a teenager.
Adolescence is a difficult time. It was therefore necessary to learning how to make friends and how to socialise in circumstances where others found it just as awkward - they were unsure how to approach or provide contact with someone who couldn't see.
That has always remained a challenge in terms of 'drinks receptions' as opposed to proper sit down dinners. It is easy when you have been able to relate to people to continue to be able to make the appropriate contact, but it's not so easy in circumstances where sight is a necessary pre-requisite for being able to spot what is going on. I have therefore had to develop ways of dealing with this in meetings, so that I know how people are reacting - feeling it by instinct.
Practical issues have been dealt with through the use of tape recordings for all material including correspondence and policy documents, which are read on to tape. This involves me having to spend long hours (speeding up the tape) to be able to get through the material. I obviously dictate back onto tape, although as part of the course I did when I was at school I learnt to touch type and to do Braille shorthand, so I can do a little practical self help.
The higher you climb in any walk of life, the more help you get. This is true of being in the Cabinet. With computerised material for producing through the appropriate software the necessary Braille texts, and with having extra support to be able to get material read onto tape, life is a lot easier than when I was first setting out.
The inspiration came from a number of quarters. The love and care of my mother and father, and my father's willingness to give me the confidence as a small child (until his death when I was 12 years old) to go out and do things, no matter whether it resulted in bumps and bangs, or breakages of bones! My grandfather inspired me to be interested in politics by reading to me from national newspapers. My mother inspired me to care about others.
My parents' role in my success was one of encouragement, of support, and of being there.
It is always difficult for parents. They are not sure what their child is going to be able to achieve. Having a blind child therefore at first seems to be a total shock, but it is important to link them up with other parents who have positive experiences and a positive outlook. It is also crucial to be able to provide practical assistance so that they can begin to see that it is possible for the blind child to develop, to flourish, and of course to aspire.
All individuals are different. My perceptions in relation to blindness are very different to those of others (including those who have written about blindness from their own experience). For instance, someone losing their sight in later life will have a very different challenge to those learning to cope without sight from early childhood (as in my case).
In the end, of course, there is no substitute for hard work and dedication - and that is what it takes to succeed in any walk of life.
Facebook comments