A SALTCOATS woman has been made an MBE in the King's birthday honours list - after using her own experience of sight loss to help others.

Norma Baillie lost her sight at the age of nine, but now runs her own company to address the needs of others whose vision is impaired.

She receives the accolade "for her services to blind and partially sighted people".

Norma told the Herald that the honour "doesn't feel real" but that she is "really chuffed" that her work has been recognised.

She found out about her accolade via a letter - which was read to her by her partner.

Norma described how he reads her letters to her at the end of each day and they were going through her post as normal.

The mail is, in Norma's words, “always like gas bills or whatever” - but on this occasion it was something a little different.

She commented: “He said, ‘I don’t know if this is a joke’ – it was a letter saying that the Prime Minister had put my name forward. 

"I was like ‘what?'.

“I was really shocked and surprised but I’ve not been allowed to tell anybody. It’s been top secret information.

“I was just really shocked. Flattered. I’m really chuffed.”

Norma has spent three decades delivering front-line training that enables those living with all levels of sight impairment to gain independence and confidence.

Her sight was problem-free in her early life - but while in primary five at school, she was asked to complete work that had been put on the blackboard and couldn't see it.

After being taken for tests Norma was told she had Stargardt disease, which affects the retina, and that she was going blind.

But she has always refused to let it get her down - and believes that others like her with sight loss should have the power to live their lives without limits.

It was then she was informed that she was going blind - but ever since has not let it get her down and lives her life to the fullest.

Despite having the rare degenerative eye condition herself, she believes that those with sight loss should be empowered to live life without limits.

As her business, PrioritEyes, has grown, the knowledge and professionalism she offers her clients and staff has proved invaluable.

Her company has been highly accliamed and has been awarded Positive About Disability status and Disability Confident Employer status.

She manages a team of specialist staff and is responsible for UK-wide contract management, supplying locum services to councils and liaising with commissioning managers, heads of service and sensory managers.

Norma trained as a Rehabilitation Workers Professional Network (RWPN) mentor to support workers not in her team, doing so on a voluntary basis.

She became the volunteer RWPN representative for Scotland and was proactive in the organisation of their first conference.

While running the company, she continues to work as a rehab specialist.

But her work helping those in the blind and partially sighted community began long before she started PrioritEyes.

In 2004, before setting up the business, Norma designed the Pathfinder Project, an innovative independent transport and travel training project for people living with disabilities.

This used the principles of 'vision impairment rehabilitation safety, confidence and reduced dependency on others, she applied them to a wider audience with a specific goal.

The project provides practical support to those with sensory, physical and cognitive impairments, enabling them to travel independently.

The entrepreneurial project has been trialled with various age groups, including children travelling to school and adults accessing employment and training opportunities and enables fears to be overcome and transferable skills to be developed.

While Norma has always challenged herself in remarkable ways showing just what can be done despite adversity.

She completed a tandem parachute jump at 12,000 feet, abseiled down the Titan Crane in Clydebank and conquered all the 2,867 feet of Goatfell on Arran - describing the last of those as her most difficult challenge.