I am David Shervill, and I am registered as partially sighted, and although I feel fortunate to have had the opportunities to attend main stream schools and colleges. It has at times been extremely difficult, and frustrating to try and accomplish the same tasks as everyone else, without the extra time and support I needed. There were times when I was told at school that I couldn’t do something, because there wouldn’t be the right resources or the extra time to enable me to do it.
I succeeded in gaining my BTEC Extended National Diploma in Music Technology at Highbury College, Portsmouth, and I’m proud of it, but it was at times difficult, and a great deal of my learning was done from memory, and watching how others managed a task. There was very little in the way of any magnification equipment available.
My idea for developing a Social Enterprise came whilst I was undertaking a work based training programme in sound engineering at the Royal National College for the Blind, in Hereford in 2012. Here I accessed assistive technology, and I wondered why, if it was available here, why was it not available everywhere, to enable people of various abilities and special needs to have the opportunity to create their own music based projects? The idea for Global Music Visions C.I.C. was born.
To enable me to gain some experience in music based environments I began volunteering within two local recording studios and a local radio station. This gave me the confidence to then apply for a 6-month social entrepreneurs course through Action Hampshire, and then to complete the 1-year Social Entrepreneurs programme at Action Hampshire, graduating in September 2015. Action Hampshire guided me through the minefield of information around legal structures, insurance policies, and maintaining accurate financial records. I also gained the confidence to speak in front of large groups of people, to share ideas and to help others in the group with their own project development. The advice and support given by my mentor and learning facilitators on the School for Social Entrepreneurs programme has been invaluable, and is on going.
Global Music Visions C.I.C. is a not for profit Community Interest Company Limited By Guarantee, incorporated in December 2015.
We offer computer music workshops for blind, visually impaired and disabled people of all ages, enabling them to undertake their own projects in a safe inclusive environment, including schools, colleges, social clubs and day centres. We actively encourage the involvement of carers, teachers, family members and friends. We also offer consultancy around accessibility to buildings and activities, and facilitate talks around visual impairment, to groups and businesses.