Tag: RNIB

Enough is enough – sight loss charity calls for urgent funding to improve education support for vision impaired children

Stuart Mitchell

A new Freedom of Information (FOI) report carried out in England by sight loss charity the Royal National institute of Blind People (RNIB) shows a continuation of budget cuts and freezes are seriously impacting on specialist education support for children and young people living with a vision impairment. 42 per cent of local authority VI education teams have had budgets cut or frozen in the last year. 61 per cent of local authorities have reported a decrease or freeze in the number of specialist VI teachers. North West of England…

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Hachette UK donates audiobooks to substantially increase RNIB’s library collection

Stuart Mitchell

The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) has received hundreds of new audio books that will be available to lend to people with sight loss. Hachette UK is donating the audio books to RNIB and will make a selection available to RNIB’s Reading Services customers each month. This will substantially increase the Library Collection. The books, which are donated from the entire Hachette Audio catalogue, include customer favourite authors Michael Connelly, Andy McDermott, Maggie O’Farrell and Elly Griffiths. James Bartlett, RNIB’s Senior Reading Services Manager, said: “RNIB Library is…

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RNIB revolutionise data and analytics capabilities to provide better services and support

Stuart Mitchell

The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) has partnered with leading digital transformation provider and data and AI specialist, ANS, to implement a modern data platform in Microsoft Azure. This will support RNIB in maturing their organisational data and analytics capability and, the pursuit of their vision to create a world without barriers where people with sight loss can lead full lives. Since being founded in 1868, RNIB has worked tirelessly to help blind and partially sighted people build the essential skills, knowledge, and confidence they need. The charity…

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RNIB and Guide Dogs NI offer first of its kind sight loss training for school counsellors

Stuart Mitchell

Led by RNIB NI (The Royal National Institute of Blind People), in partnership with Guide Dogs NI, the Counselling Insight Project is a two-year venture that received £80,207 of funding from the Department of Health Mental Health Fund, administered by Community Foundation NI. Counselling Insight panel members, Martin Walls and Andrea Begley; RNIB NI Country Director Robert Shilliday and Amanda Hawkins, Head of Mental Health and Counselling, Confident Living & Skills Development, RNIB “I felt isolated at school” Those are the words of Leah Tylor as two NI sight loss…

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RNIB responds to guidance from the Electoral Commission for Returning Officers

Stuart Mitchell

The right to vote independently, and in secret, is a cornerstone of our democracy. Yet blind and partially sighted people continue to face unacceptable barriers. As a result of the RNIB’s ‘Blind Voters Count’ campaign and the tireless work of Conservative peer Lord Holmes, the Government backed changes that strengthened the legislative wording of the Elections Act. It also introduced new responsibilities for the Electoral Commission, including one to create guidance for Returning Officers on their requirement to deliver an independent and secret vote for voters with sight loss and…

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