A BLIND man who was refused flights because both he and his friend are visually impaired will train as a paralegal to try and fight prejudice.

Stephen Sherwood was due to fly to Majorca yesterday (Wednesday) with Lauren Wigglesworth, a friend from his time studying at the Royal National College for the Blind.

However instead of spending a week on a Mediterranean beach, Stephen will be at his home in Hereford, after holiday provider Thomson told the friends they could not fly, just weeks before they were set to leave.

Thomson’s explanation – that the pair would be unable to perform “safety related actions” such as putting on a lifejacket – shocked 24-year-old Stephen – mainly as he had flown solo to Canada in 2008 with no difficulty at all.

“I feel that this is unfair,” said Stephen. “When I’ve flown on my own a member of the cabin crew comes to speak to you before take off and tells you step-by-step what’s going to happen. It wasn’t a big deal.

“If the cabin crew aren’t there to help people, why are they there?”

In a statement, Thomson insists the requirements are in the Department of Transport’s code of practice – and that the company does not have a blanket ban on blind passengers travelling alone but assesses each case individually.

Set to train as a paralegal in Worcester next year, Stephen hopes to use his personal insight to take on the inconsistency prevalent in these kinds of legal loopholes.

“It’s crazy the lengths we have had to go to,” said Stephen. “I’m definitely not going to use Thomson again.

"They wouldn’t even give us a refund until the media became involved.”

The solution offered – that the friends paid to be accompanied by a friend or relative – would be a huge expense for the pair, both in their 20s, and one that goes against the whole idea of going on holiday as two young, independent people.

“It is a disappointing fact that people with a visual impairment are still subject to discrimination like this,” said Lucy Proctor, director of communications at the RNC.

“Students leave here enabled and practised at using various modes of transport. Although they may occasionally require extra assistance, for example from a flight attendant prior to take off, they would not expect to need more help than any other passenger.”