Rochelle Humes Chats To A Blind Mum-Of-Two About Losing Her Sight And Fearing For Her Children

A blind mum-of-two has told Rochelle Humes that her biggest fear is the guilt she would feel if her disability led to her children coming to harm.

"I have to watch out for not being too overprotective," Amie Slavin, 45, told Humes in the new AOL Original series, Being Mum.

"Everything just takes a little longer. I have layers of things to think about that other people don't.

"The side effect of having a disability is that often you find the default setting is that people assume you’re incapable."

Slavin has a rare form of eye cancer called bilateral retinoblastoma. But it was the treatment, rather than the condition itself, that caused her to become blind at the age of 23.

She has never seen her two children, Sophia, nine, and Jihana, six.

Other ways her condition affects her day-to-day parenting? Slavin, a single mum, told Humes that she has to be very organised and do lots of planning - she can't do things on the fly like other mums.

When asked what she would most like to see out of everything in the world, Slavin's answer took Humes by surprise.

"I’d quite like to check their maths homework," she said. "To be honest, most people would expect the answer to that question to be 'I’d love to see my kids faces, I'd love to know what they look like'.

"But I’d like to be able to see when they're dancing and things like that. And I don't think that I would learn more about them than I know already by looking at them."

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"Parenting is universal and it’s normal. Parenting with a disability is normal," adds Slavin.

"Everybody finds their own way and I would say trust yourself and get on with it."

Watch the video above to find out how Slavin coped when she first gave birth, as well as how her kids help her in every way they can.

The Being Mum series, hosted by Rochelle Humes and Tess Daly, is a beautiful and humbling series that defines what it means to be a mother today.

In each episode Rochelle or Tess will meet a well-known personality, or a mother with a remarkable story, to discuss the ups, the downs, the ins and outs of what being a mother is really like.

Learning Disability Myths

Learning Disability Diagnosis(01 of07)

Learning disabilities are believed to be diagnosed in early schooling. 53 percent of respondents indicated that learning disabilities are diagnosed during grades 1-4, while 23 percent think that they're diagnosed in kindergarten. (credit:Alamy)

Learning Disability Causes(02 of07)

Over one-third of individuals surveyed think that a lack of early childhood parent/teacher involvement can cause a learning disability. (credit:Alamy)

Learning Disability Causes(03 of07)

76 percent correctly say that genetics can cause learning disabilities. (credit:Alamy)

Learning Disability Causes(04 of07)

22 percent think learning disabilities can be caused by too much time spent watching television; 31 percent believe poor diet is a cause; 24 percent believe childhood vaccinations are a cause. None of these are factors. (credit:Getty)

Learning Disability Treatments(05 of07)

Respondent were uncertain about how to treat learning disabilities. 83 percent say that early intervention can help, but over half incorrectly cite medication and mental health counseling as treatments. (credit:Getty)

Learning Disability Treatments(06 of07)

55 percent of Americans wrongly believe that corrective eyewear can treat certain learning disabilities. (credit:Alamy)

Learning Disability (07 of07)

45 percent of the parents of children with learning disabilities say that their child has been bullied in the past year. (credit:Alamy)

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