I spent years pretending to see, now I embrace my blindness

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Nigerian-American singer Lachi spent years ashamed of her low vision. Growing up, she described herself as “sighted passing,” pretending she could see well enough to get by while quietly shrinking her ambitions. Even as her music career began to take shape, Lachi held back, afraid that revealing her sight loss would confirm the stigma she’d absorbed since childhood. That changed the morning she woke up completely blind. With no way to keep up the performance, Lachi made a choice: to stop hiding, embrace her identity and finally pursue music without holding back. Stepping into the industry openly as a blind artist reshaped not only her career but her sense of self, pushing her towards disability advocacy and a confidence she’d long denied herself. Lachi’s written a book called I Identify as Blind. Daniel Kelly fell into the hairdressing industry after running away from his home in northern England aged 17 with no school qualifications. It was a place that he says felt welcoming to a “young, camp, creative kid.” A few yeas later he got accepted on a fine art degree course in London – and would do people's hair on the side to earn some extra cash. It sparked the idea that would eventually blossom into a fully fledged business – to create a hair salon-gallery hybrid where where mirrors are replaced with pieces of art. Presenter: Mobeen Azhar Producers: Hetal Bapodra, Hannah Dean Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707 (Photo: A photo of Lachi on stage speaking at an event in Florida, 2025. Lachi, a Nigerian American woman, smiles broadly, looking directly into the camera. She is photographed from the waist up, wearing a black dress with a glittery bodice, translucent tulle puffed sleeves and a dark, pleated skirt. Over the dress she is wearing a multi-coloured beaded necklace, with red, orange and blue glass beads. Her long earrings, also beaded, go down past her shoulders. Her hair is in corn rows with light brown hair woven into her plaits and she is wearing dark red lipstick. She stands in front of a pale purple background with a yellow horizontal stripe running behind her head. She is holding a leather-handled cane with red tassles. Credit: Getty Images)