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RNIB
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A bit of background on visual impairment and the Royal National Institute of the Blind...
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Introduction
Did you know that around 1.75 million people in Britain are blind or partially sighted? For some, even the simplest tasks can be very difficult without the right help and support. There is one organisation which is fully committed to providing that help and support. Not only does it provide over 60 different services for visually impaired people, it actively campaigns for the elimination of discrimination and works towards the prevention of blindness. That organisation is the Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB), one of Britain's leading and best known charities. |
The following is taken from RNIB's pamphlet "Introducing RNIB" :-
It was published in 1998. Some text has been paraphrased.
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Sight loss is one of the commonest causes of disability in the UK. Among people over 75 years old as many as 1 in 6 are blind or partially sighted. RNIB's task is to challenge blindness. We challenge the disabling effects of sight lost by providing information and practical services to help people get on with their own lives. We challenge all who put barriers in the path of blind and partially sighted people. And we challenge the underlying causes of blindness by working towards its prevention, cure or alleviation |
Children
Our aim is to give blind and partially sighted children the best possible start in life. With the right help these children can achieve just as much as all youngsters.RNIB supports families by giving information and opportunities to meet others with a blind or partially sighted child. We run schools and most help children with multiple disabilities. Through a national network of education centres we help children in local schools by training their teachers and providing equipment and specialist expertise. |
Training
A key part of our work is training and re-training school leavers and people of working age. Our aim is to enable them to compete for jobs on equal terms with fully sighted people.Our further education colleges in Redhill and Loughborough offer a wide range of courses for students of all abilities. These include computing and business skills. We support students and educational establishments throughout the UK. Many students have gone on to great success in careers as diverse as physiotherapy and factory work, computing and catering. |
Employment
RNIB aims to help people find, keep or progress in suitable jobs. The choice of jobs has never been wider but blind and partially sighted people still face many barriers in the search
for work.Our Employment and Student Support Network advises job seekers on education options, training, technology, and self-employment. We run two rehabilitation centres for people who have recently lost their sight. We work with employers to challenge prejudice and misunderstanding about what blind people can achieve |
Daily Living
Living with severe sight loss is a constant challenge. We aim to give practical help, information and support so that blind and partially sighted people can live independently.We design and sell over 600 products from white canes to braille watches, from kitchen equipment to board games. Our specialist information services cover everything from benefit rights to housing, health and social services. |
Communication
People who cannot see well enough to read ordinary print face a daily challenge of gaining access to information. We work at the forefront of technology to provide information in
a medium blind and partially sighted people can use.RNIB is the biggest braille publisher in Europe we'll tackle anything from bank statements to knitting patterns to major reference works. Our tape services cover a similar wide range of documents. We also produce documents in large print, Moon (an alternative to braille) and on disc. And we have our own site on the Internet at http://www.rnib.org.uk. |
Leisure
We aim to ensure that sight loss is no barrier to the enjoyment of reading, hobbies, sport and all leisure pursuits.RNIB's best-known service - the Talking Book Service - offers a wide range of leisure reading to over 63,000 people whose ages range from 4 to over 100. We run seaside hotels to provide much-needed holidays. And we offer information and advice on every kind of leisure pursuits, from music to football, from museum visits to crosswords. |
Housing And Care
We run residential care homes for people who can no longer live independently, some of which cater for deafblind people.For people moving to London in search of work we offer flats and short stay accommodation. We also provide an information service to answer queries on all aspects of housing. Behind-the-scenes we work with social services departments to help trained staff and to raise the standards of rehabilitation and care. |
| RNIB... |
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More information
| RNIB Helpline | ||
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| 0845-766 9999 | ||
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| Information, support and advice for anyone with a serious sight problem. |
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Got a problem? Know someone with a serious sight problem who needs information or help? Want to speak to someone who can help? Need to find out about RNIB's
organisation or services? Then why not give the helpline a ring or e-mail them. For any other info, the RNIB can be contacted at the contact points listed on:- RNIB contact information |
Find out more
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RNIB's web site is excellent. More detailed background information is available on RNIB and you can also find out about visual impairment conditions and issues.
There's also loads more on volunteering and other ways to help. |
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http://www.rnib.org.uk/ |
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:-) Neil |
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Surridge |
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in the "hover over" text and the acknowledgements page.