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.

Join Us

Visionary Annual Conference 2018

 

Visionary Annual Conference 2018 

24 – 25 October 2018, Aston Conference Centre Birmingham

Find Out More

 

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
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

Charity Locator

map of UK linking to charity locator page

Use our Charity Locator to find a member organisation near you.

Search Now