Half a million in funding to support the borough’s blind and partially sighted community

Hounslow Council in partnership with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and the Middlesex Association for the Blind (MAB) have been awarded £500,000 from The National Lottery.

Published: Thursday, 6th October 2022

Vips at Kew Gardens.

The funding is over three years and will deliver:

  • Emotional and practical advice, guidance, and support (including digital training) to 2,500 people per year within the borough
  • Two Eye Care Liaison Officers (ECLOs), who will provide an important bridge between health and social services in addition to support and wellbeing of patients throughout the sight loss pathway
  • Increased awareness through events, talks and workshops with around 100 planned over the next three years
  • An increase in the number of Certificates of Visual Impairment (“CVI”)* issued in the borough.  These are important in terms of a person receiving rehabilitation, mobility training and assistive devices

The funding will also provide a project manager, who will further improve pathways for visually impaired people through work with relevant departments within the Council.

Hounslow Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Equalities, and Chair of the Council’s Right to Sensory Equality Partnership, Cllr Shivraj Grewal said:

“This is a hugely important development.  Together with RNIB and Middlesex Association for the Blind, we have prioritised funding based on need and we’re very excited about how this will benefit Hounslow’s blind and partially sighted community over the next three years.”

RNIB Chief Operating Officer, David Clarke said:

“Being told that you are losing your sight can be very overwhelming. ECLOs are an essential part of RNIB’s services, providing tailored support at a time when people need it the most. This funding will enable us to pilot a new way of working by taking our ECLOs out into the community in Hounslow. We are excited to partner with London Borough of Hounslow and Middlesex Association for the Blind, to ensure people with sight loss in Hounslow benefit from a joined up, holistic and seamless pathway of support, from the point of diagnosis and beyond.”

Sahib Singh, CEO of the Middlesex Association for the Blind, added:

"MAB has been supporting people with visual impairments in Hounslow and beyond for the past 100 years. While many people make use of our services, there are also many who slip through the cracks after sight loss diagnosis, and suffer in silence behind closed doors. Our hope is that through this partnership, we will reach those people."

RNIB has been delivering an ECLO service for almost 30 years across the UK with the first ECLO employed in 1994. Approximately 50 percent of RNIB ECLOs have sight loss.

To find out more information about ECLOs, please visit RNIB’s website HERE.

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