The young woman wears a look of concentration as she glides in graceful circles. She bends her knees as she kicks forward on the ice, her posture staying upright.
On this Monday afternoon, Cathy Williams is one of a dozen or so skaters sharing the rink at Cardiff's Ice Arena Wales. Watching on, you probably wouldn't think there was anything out of the ordinary about this particular skater. That is, apart from her moving more elegantly than many of the others.
But Cathy is registered blind. The 19-year-old has a rare genetic condition called retinitis pigmentosa (RP), which causes the death of light-sensing cells on the surface of the retina. Her understanding is that she was born with eyesight at around 50 percent of the normal level. It has since deteriorated to about 10 percent, and one day it will be gone entirely.
