North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership’s Sensory Impairment Team Manager Danny Sweeney is set to retire this March after a long and successful career with North Ayrshire Council.
Danny (pictured front right), who is registered blind, has held a number of positions within the organisation during his 32 years of service, and says that the support he has received from both the Council and his many colleagues over the years – with his visual impairment – has made a huge impact on his career.
He said: “I’ve met some amazing people during my time with the Council and have always felt very supported in all of the roles I’ve held. The practical assistance I’ve received, such as adapted IT equipment with large print and speech input, a portable note-taker for meetings, taxis to and from the workplace through the Access to Work Scheme and dedicated clerical support for using systems such as CareFirst, has been absolutely invaluable.
“More importantly, the support from my many colleagues over the years has been fantastic, and I’d like to thank each and every one of them who have been along on the journey with me.
“I feel privileged to have had so many meaningful, full-time roles throughout my career and have built so many positive relationships with those I have worked with along the way.
“While there have been challenges to overcome, both in my professional and personal life, the support from both my colleagues and my family have helped me to overcome some difficult and scary times.”
Danny, from Stevenston, has been registered blind since the age of 17 due to a condition called Leber’s Optic Atrophy, which caused a sudden loss of central vision.
While working as an apprentice engineer at ICI, he found himself in a position where, despite having a supportive employer, he was unable to continue with his apprenticeship, and the alternative roles offered to him would not lead to the sort of career he had envisaged for himself.
Instead, after a 12-week period of rehabilitation to learn some skills to help deal with his visual impairment, Danny attended the Royal National College for the Blind in Hereford, before returning to study computer science at Ayr College.
After a spell of working as a computer programmer, Danny then left to study for a Diploma in Social Work at Jordanhill College in Glasgow, which led to his first role with North Ayrshire Council, where he joined the Children and Families Team in Aitken Place in Ardrossan as a social worker in the early 90s.
“I’ve met some amazing people during my time with the council and have always felt very supported in all of the roles I’ve held. The practical assistance I’ve received, such as adapted IT equipment with large print and speech input, a portable note-taker for meetings, taxis to and from the workplace through the Access to Work Scheme and dedicated clerical support for using systems such as CareFirst, has been absolutely invaluable.”Danny Sweeney, Sensory Impairment Team Manager
Danny recently teamed up with North Ayrshire Libraries to share his experiences of the pandemic as part of an audio time capsule. Read more in the previous Staff Talk article here and listen to his recording below…
A number of positions with the Council followed, including a spell as a social worker – then senior social worker – within the Visual Impairment Team, team leader for Deaf and Blind Services and team manager for the Physical Disability and Sensory Impairment Team (pictured top), before moving into his current role.
Throughout his time with the Council, Danny has also undertaken some additional roles too…
Danny’s additional roles included representing North Ayrshire as sensory lead with the Scottish Government, chairing a working group within the Joint Futures Agenda to produce a strategy for health and social care for people with a visual impairment, acting as the Unison branch council representative for disabled members, and achieving the position of President of the Scottish Federation for the Welfare of the Blind.
If you’d like to hear more about Danny’s career journey as a visually impaired person, you can listen to an interview he did for the 3TFM careers show on YouTube.
Having always been a physically active person, from enjoying rugby and karate before losing his sight, to visiting the gym several times a week as an adult, Danny also credits the Council for rekindling his love of cycling and getting him through the Covid lockdowns.
He explained: “I enjoy keeping fit, which I think I take from my dad, who was still running half marathons at the age of 80. I’ve completed the Glasgow and Edinburgh Marathons, climbed Ben Nevis and walked the West Highland Way, but one of my most memorable achievements was doing a tandem cycle around Scotland in my 20s for charity, where we were doing around 140 miles per day.
“The lockdowns were tough for everyone, but as a visually impaired person I found it very difficult. The gym was closed, and my options for exercising outdoors were limited. It really impacted on my mental wellbeing.
“It was at an Active Travel event run by the Council at Saltcoats Town Hall where I’d first spoken to David Reid from Sustrans, who had brought along an assistive tandem. During the lockdown, I contacted David to ask whether the bike was available for a loan, which it was.
“I borrowed the bike, found a pilot, and we’ve gone cycling twice a week ever since, even cycling round Arran when the lockdown restrictions lifted enough to catch the ferry. Since then I’ve got my own tandem and I’m really enjoying getting out on it. It’s been fantastic.”
Summing up his time at the Council, Danny said: “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time here.
“I’m just an ordinary guy, but I enjoy putting a smile on people’s faces and I hope I’ve been able to make a positive impact on our service users as well as my colleagues overs the years.”
We’d like to wish Danny all the best as he moves onto this exciting next chapter.