A HEREFORD student has spoken out about how he copes living with deafblindness.

Jack Yare, a 23-year-old fifth-year Royal National College for the Blind student, has limited vision and hearing.

According to charity Sense, there are more than 400,000 people who are deafblind in the UK and it affects people of all ages.

Mr Yare, who wears glasses and uses two hearings aids, wants people to gain a better understanding of deafblindess, including by realising it's a spectrum – meaning there is a lot of variation in how much a deafblind person can hear and see.

He said he has faced challenges though, including when on a winter evening a few years ago, he was "dropped off in the middle of nowhere" when travelling on a bus.

But luckily for him, he was able to phone his family who were nearby. Using the maps app on his mobile phone, he was able to get them to pick him up from the dark area where there were no street lights.

Mr Yare, who studies in Hereford but is from Cumbria, said the college has helped him become more independent.

He said he has become more confident in using public transport and asking for help if he needs it.

"Overall, my independence improved from day one, my cooking and my day-to-day things really," Mr Yare, who started at the college when he was 18, said.

"Being more indepedent and going to the gym, knowing my surroundings, meeting new people and being able to go out in Hereford, and getting more confidence to just be yourself and turning into an adult."

Speaking to mark Deafblind Awareness Week, Mr Yare also spoke about his career aspirations.

He said he will take a break over the summer, but hopes to get involved at Bendrigg Lodge, an outdoor adventure activity centre for people with disabilities and from disadvantaged backgrounds near his home in Cumbria.

If that volunteering role goes well, he said he will look for a paid role in the area and develop his skills.