Daniel, aged 22 and from Bath but now living in Cardiff, intends to provide training and consultancy services to businesses across the UK to enable them to better engage with customers living with a visual impairment.

Daniel was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a hereditary condition causing a gradual loss of vision, at the age of eight. During his school years, Daniel experienced bullying and had difficulty coping with his visual impairment and not being able to enjoy the same experiences as his peers, such as, learning to drive. Daniel began to accept his condition after attending the Royal National College for the Blind in Herefordshire, where he met lots of inspirational people who taught him to focus on what he could do rather than what he couldn’t.

From a young age, he dreamed of being a policeman; however he later realised this wouldn’t be possible due to his visual impairment. After college, Daniel progressed on to university, where he undertook studies to learn more about supporting those with a visual impairment to become more independent.

Since leaving university, Daniel has worked, but has not sustained employment. He has experienced some negativity from former employers who sometimes thought he was less capable due to his visual impairment.

These experiences motivated Daniel to set up Visualise Training and Consultancy, which aims to improve an organisation’s awareness, knowledge, and confidence when dealing with visuallly impaired people. It delivers accredited training and also provides accessibility checks of premises and a "mystery-shopper" service with the assistance of visually impaired shoppers.

It hasn’t been an easy process, but Daniel’s determination is inspiring. Daniel was recently appointed a Business Wales role model, and he has also recently launched a petition to the Welsh Assembly urging them to consider compulsory disability-awareness training for employees working in customer-facing roles.

Daniel explained, "The last six months were difficult, and I faced a range of barriers when trying to set up my business; however this didn’t stop me. There was no option for me to give up, as I wanted to pursue a career that I am passionate about and which is making a difference within society for the better. I felt degraded by being labelled 'unable to work', and this motivated me to strive towards achieving my dreams and aspirations, just like anyone else. I am determined to be successful, and I will keep working to achieve success.

"When conducting my market research speaking to employers and employees, many stated they would be unsure of what to do or say when dealing with someone who has a visual impairment. In addition I found a statistic that nine of ten employers would find it difficult or impossible to employ someone who was blind or partially sighted, which I found shocking. I believe these perceptions need to be changed, and I want to work with employers and employees to change them in a positive way."

Over the past few months, Daniel has been tirelessly trying to up skills in order to ensure his new venture is a success and to secure initial start-up funding, so he can make the jump from unemployed to entrepreneur.

The Welsh government’s Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology, Ken Skates, said, "I have been struck by Daniel’s truly inspirational story. Not once has he wavered from his ambition of improving the customer experience for visually impaired people. He has faced and overcome every obstacle with positivity, determination, and tremendous resolve. Daniel refused to accept that his visual impairment should ever prevent him from following his chosen career path."

Daniel Williams is taking part in the World of Learning Conference and Exhibition, NEC Birmingham, 30 September - 01 October.