Blind contestant's Strictly cha-cha-cha inspires visually impaired to get on dancefloor

It may be early days, but Strictly Come Dancing's breakout star so far this season is also the show's first blind contestant, Chris McCausland.

- Rachel Hall

The comedian, who impressed the BBC show's judges last Saturday with his confident and energetic cha-cha-cha, has earned additional plaudits for upending stereotypes about who can dance. His success has also inspired the next generation of visually impaired young people by proving that there need be no barriers to learning to dance.

Evie Roberts, 15, who hosts a podcast called Talking in the Dark, which aims to raise awareness of blindness and disability, said it was "really great we've now got so many disabled role models" on TV. "There's definitely more than there were 20 or 30 years ago. More work has to be done, but we're definitely making progress."

She hoped McCausland's appearance on Strictly would challenge misconceptions and encourage people to talk and think about accessibility. "When it comes to disability, I think it can sometimes be that people just aren't really educated in it, so [it's important that they] see people like Chris McCausland and other incredible people with disabilities out there and doing their thing." She has interviewed McCausland on her podcast, and the pair bonded over the "slightly off-the-wall questions" they have encountered as visually impaired people.