Guide Dogs highlights inadequate service support for blind and partially sighted people in Northern Ireland

Guide Dogs highlights inadequate service support for blind and partially sighted people in Northern Ireland

According to Guide Dogs, the overall status and funding of services to rehabilitate and support people with sight loss has improved little in the past 10 to 15 years.

Overcoming the psychological impact of sight loss and social isolation are two factors in improving the self-confidence, independent functioning and quality of life for many blind and partially sighted people. These are the findings and challenges of research undertaken by the charity and the Northern Ireland Rehabilitation Project Group.

Many blind and partially sighted people believe they have not achieved everything they want in life.  There are barriers preventing them maximising their talents and achieving their aspirations.

At the Stormont launch reception – hosted for Guide Dogs by Michelle O’Neill MLA – the charity will publish its policy paper ‘Independence and well-being in sight; Investing in the potential of blind and partially sighted adults in Northern Ireland’.  Guide Dogs will explain to MLAs why it believes that blind and partially sighted people should be entitled to services which offer opportunities for greater well-being and independence.  The charity wants people with sight loss to have greater participation in a more inclusive society.

Guide dog owner Maud Marks from Bangor said: “Losing my sight was devastating. My whole world collapsed. I had no-one to turn to for information and support. What I needed was someone to listen to me, to make me feel valued and make me believe that I could once again achieve many of things I wanted to do.”

The principal recommendations contained within ‘Investing in the potential of blind and partially sighted adults in Northern Ireland’ are:

• Blind and partially sighted people being entitled to an agreed level and quality of service to help them respond to the impact of sight loss, maintaining independence and quality of life
• Future services being based on a ‘middle step’ model, incorporating timely information and provision of emotional support; an ‘outcomes-based’ assessment during which the individual identifies their own personal goals; and services that are user led
• Integration of a multi-disciplinary rehabilitation workforce, provided by a variety of practitioners in different team settings, and with support from other professional staff in the health, social care and voluntary sectors

During the reception, MLAs will be invited to enter a special sound booth with a dark interior.  Inside, MLAs will be able to hear recordings of local blind and partially sighted people, talking from personal experience about the challenges they face and where service support is lacking.

Bridget Warr, Chief Executive of Guide Dogs, explains:  “We very much hope MLAs will support our vision of a world in which blind and partially sighted people receive the necessary support to lead mobile and independent lives.

“By hearing the experiences of blind and partially sighted people, MLAs will gain an understanding of why it’s so important to invest in professional rehabilitation services.”