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 Annual Conference 2018

 

Visionary Annual Conference 2018 

24 – 25 October 2018, Aston Conference Centre Birmingham

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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
7 Nov

Sight loss leading to thousands of Scots facing loneliness

Sight loss leading to thousands of Scots facing loneliness Today Scotland’s biggest charity supporting blind and partially sighted people has called for action to tackle loneliness among the nearly 200,000 Scots who live with sight loss*. Research from Royal Blind shows that almost two thirds of vision impaired people have experienced loneliness because of their sight loss. Nearly three hundred people of all ages supported by Royal Blind and sister charity Scottish War Blinded participated in the study ahead of the Scottish Government’s consultation on loneliness which closed on Friday (27th April). Almost two thirds (60%) of the vision impaired people who were consulted said that their sight loss had directly contributed to feelings of loneliness, while almost all respondents (90%) said they had accessed services to overcome feelings of loneliness. The top three causes of loneliness were challenges with mobility and accessing transport, problems such as other health issues, and vision impairment making it hard to make friends. The top three interventions to overcome feelings of loneliness were support from Royal Blind and Scottish War Blinded services, equipment to help with vision impairment, and contact with family and friends. With the number of people with sight loss projected to […]

Latest News
10 Oct

Fife Society for the Blind sees in change of name to become SeeScape

Fife Society for the Blind sees in change of name to become SeeScape Fife Society for the Blind has been dedicated to helping sight impaired people lead more independent lives for over 150 years, and as the charity continues to develop and expand its horizons, it has revealed its new name – seescape. Officially unveiled by the Provost of Fife, Jim Leishman MBE to staff, volunteers, patrons and its board, seescape connects with registered visually impaired people on more than 6,000 occasions each year, with an increasingly broad range of services. Provost of Fife Jim Leishman MBE said: “I’m delighted to be here today to mark this significant occasion for the charity and wish them every success for the future as ‘seescape’. It’s a great opportunity to highlight the valuable work they deliver across Fife.” seescape aims to help make sight impaired people’s lives more fulfilled by empowering them to live and interact with their families, their communities and surroundings in a positive way. It does so by giving them access to support services, new technology and a new community of friends, and relies on the support of volunteer befrienders. Sight loss is an invisible disability that affects young and […]

Latest News

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Development & Innovation Fund

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The Visionary Development & Innovation Fund helps members make a difference to the lives of blind and partially sighted people.

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