Memories of office life: at 20 and blind, my workmates pranked me mercilessly – and I loved it

The first time I worked in an office, I was the boss of a group of sceptical youngsters. They looked for my weak spots - then became my first full-sighted friends

My first experience of office life was daunting. You might expect one's first experience of working in an office environment to be pretty gentle: making the tea, a bit of filing, running errands for the boss. Not a bit of it, in my case. Aged 20, with no experience of office life, I was the boss. And, just to add a little spice to the task, I was totally blind.

My job as a community service volunteer at Youth Action York was to persuade a sceptical group of teenagers to give a helping hand to local elderly or disabled people who were struggling - assisting them with their shopping, perhaps, or tidying up their garden. It felt like a challenge, and my teenage volunteers made sure it was.