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Action for Blind People is a dynamic national charity providing practical support to over 20,000 blind and partially sighted people across the UK each year.
Action is committed to recognising the need for viable, solution focused services and work hard to provide them.
The visual impairment charity offers support in :-
In certain areas, within the UK, Action has joined up their services and are working in conjunction with local providers. A service may be delivered directly by Action or another service provider. In either case, Action’s clients are now receiving their own individually tailored service supported by their very own Action Coordinator who will guide clients through the process rather than referring them on.
The new initiative has been very successful and over the next five years this new way of working will launch across the UK to ensure all needs are met. This does not replace the existing services but merely adds to them.
Action for Blind People continually strive to reach out to more blind and partially sighted people to provide them with advice and support, whatever their needs may be.
Information leaflets are available from the charity and for further information on how Action can help
visit: www.actionforblindpeople.org.uk
or call the National Freephone Helpline on 0800 915 4666.
CASE STUDY
Steph, aged 29, experienced a sudden sight loss two years ago. At the time she was a fashion designer in London designing for the likes of Ted Baker and Marks and Spencer. After a holiday to New Zealand, she discovered she was unable to see out of one eye. She made an appointment with the opticians who referred her to the Eye hospital, and she mentioned it in passing to her parents over the phone. The next morning her parents turned up unexpectedly as she was having breakfast. They tearfully told her that because of a hereditary condition (Lebers Optic Neuropathy) she was going to go blind. This was the first Steph had heard of the condition, or the fact that it ran in her family.
Picture Above: Steph Cutler,
mentioned in the case study
Unable to design anymore Steph left her job and her lifestyle in the city and moved back in with her parents near Coventry. Steph talks about the difficulties of not being able to read the ticket machines or departure boards at stations, not being able to tell the difference between paracetamol and laxatives when she has a headache because she can't read the label, or opening a tin of pineapple chunks when trying to make beans on toast!
However, Steph is ambitious and determined and felt she still had loads to offer, particularly in the workplace. She says 'I couldn't see how sitting indoors trying to come to terms with my limited vision would help me actually come to terms with my limited vision!' After being trained on technology to help partially sighted people in the workplace, she unsuccessfully applied for over 100 jobs. Still determined to succeed, she decided that if nobody else would employ her, she would employ herself.
This April (2005) Steph set up her own business called OpenEyed. OpenEyed, a company which goes into organisations advising them on how to become more accessible to disabled people, has been so successful it was short listed this October by the Handbag.com business awards. Action for Blind People assisted Steph with setting up her new business. Steph says to others she may look like a tragic story - ambitious fashion designer, sudden sight loss, leaves friends and lively lifestyle to live in parental home. Not so, of course she misses her old life but she feels grateful she has been blessed with a positive outlook and determination. Steph adds ' I am grateful that when I step on to the bathroom scales I can no longer see to read my weight. I am eternally eight stone!
Picture Above: Taken at a sports club arranged by Action for Blind People
