I answer 999 calls while my dog sleeps under my desk

In a busy 999 control room, filled with ringing phones and urgent voices, a gentle snoring sound drifts from a corner.

Fast asleep under a desk lies Arnold - a "lazy" but loving guide dog.

"I think he's everyone's favourite in the control room," says Sam Smith, an East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) call handler.

"He likes to sleep through my shifts."

Sam, from Derby, has Stargardt disease - an inherited eye condition that causes him to lose his central vision.

While his sight is expected to deteriorate over time, Sam says he has been told he will not lose his vision completely.

With the use of specialist computer software - and with Arnold, a nine-year-old retriever labrador cross, by his side - Sam has proven himself to be a valuable part of the EMAS team.

His job is to take 999 calls, and to categorise them for front-line ambulance responders.

"It's been a learning curve because it's a lot faster paced than anything I've done before," the 21-year-old says.

"It's definitely put me to the test but I've enjoyed it massively."

Sam was diagnosed with Stargardt disease at the age of nine, and was too young to understand what it meant.

His parents, he says, "took it a lot harder" because they were "thinking about everything that could happen in the future, what I could have been doing".

He adds: "My approach has generally been - I want to find ways to adapt things to work for me.

"I don't like just sitting and letting the world pass me by."

With that attitude, Sam learned to use ZoomText - a piece of software that allows users to magnify areas of a computer screen.

After leaving the Royal National College for the Blind in Hereford, Sam began looking for roles in IT, but admitted he "wasn't having much luck" until he came across the call handler role at EMAS.

Nine months later and Sam says he is excelling in his job, having recently passed several audits with a score of 100%.

Unlike his colleagues, Sam does not use a physical phone. Instead, he answers calls on his laptop and uses ZoomText to help him read key bits of information.

Sam's condition also means he is sensitive to light, so his adaptations mean he can use a darker screen with a "giant yellow" cursor to help him navigate.

He says: "The point of the software is that I can work at the same pace as everyone else in the room."

Gary Lockley, head of emergency operation centres at EMAS, said Sam's adaptability since joining the team had been "phenomenal".

He added implementation of the software in the control room was "a first" for EMAS.

"He [Sam] came in with a solution ready for us that we needed to put into place to allow him to do his role," Gary said.

"We have had contact from other ambulance services really excited about the opportunities that we can give to visually impaired people."

He added: "They [patients] don't know his disability and nor do they need to.

"He does his job the same as everyone else does and that's an absolute testament to Sam."

While Sam has impressed his colleagues since joining, Arnold also plays an important role.

"He tends to sleep and occasionally slightly interrupts with a dream and a little whimper," Sam says.

"After a stressful call, it's nice to have a dog cuddle and I know some of my colleagues have appreciated that as well."

After a hard shift, Sam and Arnold return home to Derby together.

"He knows exactly how I work, he knows how I get around and he's generally been brilliant for me," Sam says.

"I've had him for seven years now, so quite a long partnership.

"He's nearly at retirement unfortunately, which would be a very sad day for me."

Listen to BBC Radio Derby on Sounds and follow BBC Derby on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.