Royal National Institute of Blind People
Welcome
Latest News -
Ofcom publish review on audio description targets
Ofcom has published its Television Access Services Review, showing that an increase of AD targets on all channels is achievable and would give blind and partially sighted people greater social inclusion, equality and independence. However, as Ofcom believe the arguments are 'finely balanced' it has referred the final decision to the Secretary of State.
RNIB calls on Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Media, Culture and Sport to set a 20 per cent target for Audio Description (AD) across all TV channels.
Lost & Found
RNIB's "Lost and Found" campaign reveals that hundreds of people lose their sight each week but are effectively left to "rattle along on their own". When you are dealing with the shock of finding out you are losing your sight, getting the right practical and emotional support at this crucial moment can make a huge difference to how you adjust in the months and years that follow.
Getting the right support should not be left to chance. We have a major opportunity between now and 27 April to bring the lack of support to the attention of health inspectors, but we need your help to do this.
Please send a letter to England's independent regulator of health and social care service, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), encouraging them to agree to a special review of the care experienced by people who lose their sight.
You can download a CQC template letter here
You can download a CQC briefing here
What happens when you lose your sight?
Too many people who lose
their sight are left to struggle
without the most basic forms
of support. It's often assumed
that if you start to lose your
sight a range of services swing
into action. This is not true.
"At the begininng there was basically nothing - nothing at all.
The eye hospital's (attitude) was 'You've got an eye problem.
Bye. Sort it!' " Andy Stowe, Mansfield
Andy's experience is not unique. In fact a shocking 23 per cent of people losing their sight leave the eye clinic without even being certain of the name of the condition that caused sight loss.
How can you seek further information about a condition that you can't even name? Thousands of people get no support when they lose their sight - most receive no counselling and are left to cope with their diagnosis alone.
We will be campaigning to:
- Make sure patient information in eye clinics, GP surgeries and hospitals is provided promptly and in a format the patient can read.
- Ensure that high-quality information, advice and support services are routinely available to everyone who experiences sight loss.
- Make sure that counselling and emotional support is available to everyone who loses their sight. This should include a spectrum of support, from peer support to counselling.
Calls to Action:
Help us to ensure that your blind and partially sighted constituents get the advice, information and support that they need when they've been diagnosed with sightloss.
1. Write to the Director of Commissioning at your local PCT
Download our template letter here for PCTs in England
2. Ask for accessible information from your eye clinic, GP surgery or hospital
Blind and partially sighted people regularly get their health information in a format they cannot read (like standard print!). Write to your local PCT and find out what information they offer in an accessible format and how they record the format needs of their blind and partially sighted patients
3. Find out what's happening in your constituency
Contact RNIB's Parliamentary Team can put you in touch with your Regional Campaigns Officer who know what is going in your constituency can help you to support our local campaigns.
Download the campaign reports in Word here or PDF.
"Lost and Found Report briefing for MPs" - here.
Welcome to RNIB's ePolitix.com microsite.
This site features:
• Current and recent consultation responses
• Contact details for our offices in the countries and English regions
About us
We are the UK's leading charity offering information, support and advice to over two million people with sight loss. Our pioneering work helps anyone with a sight problem - not just with braille and Talking Books, but with imaginative and practical solutions to everyday challenges. We are a membership organisation with over 10,000 members who are blind, partially sighted or the friends and family of people with sight loss. 80 per cent of our Trustees and Assembly Members are blind or partially sighted. We encourage members to be involved in our work and regularly consult with them on government policy and their ideas for change. As a campaigning organisation of blind and partially sighted people, we fight for the rights of people with sight loss of all ages in each of the UK’s countries.
