NEWSLETTER No. 374

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions commissioned the Rt Hon Alan Milburn to author a report into Young People and Work and this report has highlighted the increase in the number of young people who are not in education, employment or training.

Picking up on the findings of the report, Roisin Jacklin, RNIB Policy lead, said: “Young people with a vision impairment tell us that they often aren’t getting the right level of specialist support at school or college. That sets them back even before they start looking for work. We know the consequences can be severe, with young people with vision impairment twice as likely not to be in education, employment or training as their peers.”

“What we need is a multi-pronged approach. These are young people who want to work just like anyone else, but too often graduate recruitment schemes or apprenticeships don’t think about accessibility when designing their recruitment processes. Imagine trying to upload your CV to a website that doesn’t work with assistive technology, or to persuade an employer of your skills when they hold outdated ideas about what someone with sight loss is capable of with the right technology and workplace support.”

Read the full article here: https://www.rnib.org.uk/news/rnib-responds-to-a-new-report-on-theincrease-in-the-number-of-young-people-who-are-not-in-education-employment-or-training/

Senior figures from government, business, healthcare and technology joined blind and vision impaired leaders at Vis-Ability 2026 in Westminster on 10 June to explore how innovation, employment and healthcare can become more inclusive for people living with sight loss. Hosted by Fight for Sight, the conference brought together over 100 delegates committed to breaking down barriers and creating opportunities for blind and partially sighted people across the UK.

The need for action has never been greater. More than two million people in the UK are living with sight loss, and that number is expected to double by 2050. Yet despite rapid advances in technology and healthcare, blind and partially sighted people continue to face significant inequalities. Only one in four working-age people with sight loss are in paid employment, while many encounter barriers in accessing healthcare, education and public services.

Vis-Ability 2026 was created to tackle these challenges head-on, bringing together people who want to connect, contribute and drive meaningful change. With headline sponsor HSBC, and panel sponsors Roche Products Ltd and Be My Eyes, participants shared experiences, explored practical solutions and took part in conversations designed to influence policy, practice and future opportunities.

Among those sharing their lived experience with delegates was author, broadcaster and presenter Richard Osman, who spoke candidly about living with nystagmus. He said: “It was a privilege to take part in Vis-Ability 2026, as we don’t talk nearly enough, openly enough, about living with a vision impairment. The more candid we are, the more barriers we break down and the more confidence we give others to aim high, dream big and do extraordinary things. If we want a more inclusive world for blind and vision impaired people, it starts with listening, learning and taking action. That’s exactly why conferences like this matter and I was pleased to contribute to those conversations.”

Read the full article here: https://www.fightforsight.org.uk/news-and-insights/news/charitynews/charity-leaders-politicians-tech-innovators-and-a-national-treasure-unite-at-vis-ability-2026/

Increasing numbers of electric vehicles are one of the challenges that face guide dog trainers. Guide Dogs representatives were speaking at an event at the Yorkshire Air Museum that exposed puppies in training to a range of sights and sounds.

Many people with sight loss rely on hearing traffic to judge when it is safe to cross roads, but face risks from quieter vehicles such as electric cars, scooters and bikes. The charity’s puppy development supervisor, Wendy Huggins, said: “These days the hardest environments that our dogs are having to work in are where we’ve got electric cars, things that are silent, things that our dogs aren’t expecting to have to deal with.” She added: “It’s a partnership, the owner and the dog work together to navigate the environment, so when vehicles that are coming up that are quite quiet, that can be quite challenging sometimes.”

“Although the dogs are not trained to recognise vehicle types, they are prepared for a variety of situations they may encounter. The puppies are also taken to places such as the cinema, theatre, aquariums, shops and restaurants as part of their training.

Read the full article here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c23y0k0jg4go

Last month’s bulletin featured a story about a student who travelled over 100 miles to see a film at the only cinema that carries Audio Description in Northern Ireland. Now read the follow-up…

Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet has delighted a young film fan with a surprise call after hearing her story of having to travel 140-miles to find an accessible cinema.

Fourteen-year-old Eryn, who has been blind since birth, made the three-hour round-trip for a screening of The Magic Faraway Tree, a film adapted from Enid Blyton’s book series. Eryn said the journey was necessary because the cinema was the only one her family could find offering audio description (AD) headsets.

Winslet, who voiced the audiobooks of The Magic Faraway Tree series, told the teenager she was “absolutely staggered” she had to travel so far. Eryn From Brookeborough in County Fermanagh, previously told BBC News NI she doesn’t visit the cinema often, as the nearby IMC in Enniskillen does not offer AD headsets.

Read the full story here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c302g680zr1o

Back in March, a group of campaigners handed in RNIB’s biggest ever petition to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) as part of our Out of Sight campaign.

Signed by more than 48,000 of you, the petition called on the UK Government to ensure people with sight loss in England receive the vision rehabilitation support they need, when they need it. Our research has shown that thousands of people with sight loss are missing out on vision rehabilitation services that help them live independently and stay connected. We’ve now received a response from Stephen Kinnock MP, Minister of State for Care. The Minister responded to each of our recommendations in detail, and acknowledged the importance of independence, dignity, and access to timely support for people experiencing sight loss. However, despite this engagement, he did not commit to taking any of RNIB’s recommendations forward. More positively, though, he did offer RNIB a further discussion with DHSC officials.

RNIB is also now hearing from MPs who received postcards from campaign supporters. As an added string to our campaign, it meant that many MPs received personalised postcards, with powerful messages about vision rehabilitation. An impressive 751 postcards were sent to 414 different MPs. You can let us know if your MP responded to you, by emailing us at [email protected]

Read the full article here: https://www.rnib.org.uk/news/minister-for-care-responds-tornibs-out-of-sight-petition/

When organisations come together with purpose, something powerful happens. That’s exactly what we’re seeing in Fight for Sight’s collaboration with Transport for London (TfL).

TfL’s Lost Property department handles many thousands of items every year. Their priority is always clear: reunite people with what they’ve lost. It’s careful, detailed work that takes persistence. But when items remain unclaimed, TfL makes a conscious, value-led decision to donate some of those items to charity. In doing so, the team ensures nothing goes to waste, and everything has the chance to make a difference. Now, unclaimed items from across London’s transport network are finding a new home – in Fight for Sight’s charity shops – and a new purpose: helping to fund vital work tackling vision loss.

Read more here: https://www.fightforsight.org.uk/news-and-insights/news/charitynews/tfl-and-fight-for-sight-turning-lost-property-into-sight-saving-impact/