Welcome to Visionary

Visionary is a membership organisation for local sight loss charities. We are a locally led movement of national significance and, by joining Visionary, we believe that the voice of your organisation will be stronger and louder.

Our Vision is for a world in which people living with sight loss can access the services they need at a local level where and when they need them. Our Mission is to develop a strong national network of good quality local sight loss organisations, covering all parts of the UK, to help achieve this.

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Visionary Leadership Conference 2019

 

Visionary Leadership Conference 2019

Save the Date!!

Newcastle: Wednesday 8 May 2019

London: Thursday 16 May 2019

Birmingham: Thursday 23 May 2019

 

Latest News

8 Feb

Maha Urbanski – Membership Engagement Coordinator

What’s your professional background? My background is fairly eclectic: I have worked in HR, administration, project assistant and front of house roles, within the manufacturing, engineering and heritage sectors What do you do (at Visionary)? I provide administrative, coordination and CRM support to my team to ensure that we are meeting our members’ needs. What do you like most about working for Visionary? The work we do makes such a difference! Our mission statement is so important and I believe our team strives to achieve it.  The team is ever-evolving their ideas and ways to support the VI community.  Why work in the VI sector? The VI sector does amazing, life-changing work. It’s inspiring and a privilege to be part of this wonderful organisation. If you could be anywhere on Friday afternoon where would it be? You’ll likely find me in a museum or art gallery or having a film night with friends.

Latest News
11 Jan

What more can be done for Lucy?

What more can be done for Lucy? Refract – React – Refer Lucy, an active woman in her late sixties living in England, became worried when her vision started to deteriorate. After cutting her finger whilst preparing vegetables, falling when outside, scalding herself whilst making coffee and struggling to read print or watch television, she concluded that she needed help. She made an appointment with her usual optometrist in the hope that her prescription needed changing. During the examination the optometrist noted macular changes (extensive dry AMD) and an OCT scan undertaken in practice identified an epi-retinal membrane that could be contributing to her distorted vision.  He referred her to an ophthalmologist. After waiting for three months, Lucy received her appointment. Her ophthalmologist diagnosed macular degeneration and she was asked to come back in three months’ time for further monitoring. Unfortunately, she didn’t meet an eye clinic liaison officer (ECLO) who could have provided emotional and practical support, information and referrals to services that can enable and empower people with sight loss. ECLOs are usually based within eye clinics, however not every area currently has coverage. Lucy’s retinal specialist advised against surgery but explained that due to her sight loss, she […]

Latest News
21 Nov

The experiences of young people with vision impairment from secondary school into further education and employment

The University of Birmingham has published the results of a Longitudinal Transition Study, funded by Thomas Pocklington Trust, following the experiences of young people with vision impairment from secondary school into further education and employment. Findings from the study show that whilst participants are inching closer to the labour market, common challenges were identified: Just over a fifth (21 per cent) are either ‘Not in Education, Employment, or Training’ (NEET) or in long term unpaid voluntary work •Some young people with vision impairment face challenges which delay their progression into the labour market •Some young people with vision impairment do not feel ready for work and are not actively seeking employment, instead choosing to take on voluntary work or not to work at all •Young people with vision impairment who are NEET are often not signposted to services which could enable them to access the labour market •Some young people with vision impairment are employed in short-term unsecure roles, making it difficult for them to get Access to Work and other accommodations •Young people with vision impairment often face a ‘cliff edge’ after completing their education. For example, a large proportion of participants became NEET when leaving Higher Education (HE), […]

Latest News
14 Nov
Visionary Annual Conference 2018: Round up

Visionary Annual Conference 2018: Round up

Thank you to everyone who joined us at this year’s Visionary Annual Conference, held on 24 and 25 October at the Aston Conference Centre in Birmingham. We hope you agree that it was a great opportunity to network, share ideas and learn from each other. We certainly came away feeling inspired and that we are all “Stronger Together”! 204 delegates from 81 organisations attended, which is an encouraging increase on last year. The two-day programme comprised of one plenary session, 28 workshops, 15 exhibitors and 8 speakers. We were fortunate enough to welcome experts from both within and outside the sight loss and wider sectors, giving delegates a comprehensive view of the voluntary sector landscape. An informal networking event in the Aston Conference Centre bar and restaurant kicked off the event on the Tuesday evening. Although not officially part of the conference, it provided a good chance for delegates to get together for a catch up and refresh after some very long journeys. [image above shows a large Visionary banner saying ‘a brighter future through partnership. In the background there are delegates registering for the conference.]   Visionary CEO, Fiona Sandford formally opened the conference on Wednesday 24 October.  This […]

Annual Conference Latest News

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