RSBC

No child in the UK should grow up to be poor or lonely just because they are blind. There are an estimated 22,000 blind and partially sighted children and young people in England and Wales and every day four more children will be diagnosed with sight loss. Currently;

• 90% of those who lose their sight in youth won’t work for more than six months in their lives
• Most will never have someone to share their life with

Four reasons contribute to these shocking facts.

• Parents find it hard to cope with the challenges of raising a child with sight loss
• Blind children experience delayed development in childhood in communication, movement and exploration
• They have limited social encounters and experience isolation as teenagers
• Children will have reduced chances to develop socially which impacts them at school and at work

The Royal Society for Blind Children believe in a better life for blind children. We are on a mission to make sure every single blind child in England and Wales has the self-belief and skills to fulfil the potential we know they’ve got. Make no mistake – helping blind children to believe they can achieve will take time and money. But we’ll do it from the ground up, working with our wonderful donors and volunteers to deliver the five things we believe will transform the life chances of every blind child in England and Wales. Helping parents first: To change the future for blind children and young people we need to change how parents cope with their child’s diagnosis. RSBC’s Family Support Service can be on hand from the moment parents hear the news to offer practical advice and emotional support so parents understand sight loss, adapt and build the self-belief that their family can live beyond it.
2. Excellent and inclusive education: It’s our aim to make every moment of a blind student’s education experience a positive one: helping them to achieve their full potential and to develop socially. Through this they’ll have a spring board to make the most of the next chapter of their life. We’ll do this by growing Dorton College, our popular specialist residential further education college and building a mainstream education programme focussed on inclusivity and digital fluency that acts as a beacon for other schools in the UK.
3. Build friendships and character: We’re going to help children and young people build the kinds of friendships that help them grow as a person. Together, through our social groups, sport and well-being clubs, and creative programmes they’ll learn new skills, make friends and experience moments that will give them the confidence to take on life on life’s terms.
4. Getting young people job ready: To solve the high levels of unemployment and poverty among blind young people we’ll ensure that the young people we work with have the practical job skills and self-belief that they will need to get a job through our work skills services.
5. Harnessing technology: We firmly believe that every day and emerging technology has the power to solve many of the challenges that blind children and young people experience. We work with tech experts to develop and build technology solutions to address those challenges.