There are many people with severe sight loss who are unable to fully participate within their communities. This exclusion happens at different levels, from education and employment to health and social care. Factors contributing to this include inaccessible information, poverty, mobility, lack of confidence and low aspirations.
Communities First is a Welsh Assembly Government initiative aimed at improving the quality of life and opportunities for people who live in some of the most economically disadvantaged communities in Wales.
RNIB Cymru's Community Development Team worked with communities across Wales. This project ended in March 2007.
Vision
"To have communities in Wales where people with severe sight problems enjoy the same rights, responsibilities, opportunities and quality of life as people who are sighted."
We worked with and supported a network of people with sight loss to bring about improvements for all people with sight loss in their communities. We actively talked to and worked with individuals, groups and organisations in communities, developing and implementing priorities for change. Our work was varied and driven by the community. Our Communities First team:
-
empowered people with sight loss to represent their communities and become "champions" - people with severe sight loss who worked with the support of the Community Development Officer (CDO) in various ways. Some were members of partnership boards, some helped with awareness raising sessions and some acted as a catalyst for focus groups
-
developed local plans that highlighted specific issues and needs of individuals in those communities in collaboration with 'champions'
-
worked with small and large organisations across the health, statutory, private and voluntary sectors to address barriers to accessing their services
-
highlighted the issues facing blind and partially sighted people throughout communities by providing training and awareness sessions.
Achievements
-
In Conwy, we worked with the local community to campaign for a pedestrian crossing.
-
In Neath we helped a community group provide accessible information to their members.
-
We have worked with Ethnic Minority Groups in Cardiff to raise awareness of the need for regular eye health checks.
As a result of some work undertaken by one of the CD officers, a major leisure group has now produced the menus from it's café areas in 14 point print standard and has also made them available in other formats. This is being implemented in the organisation's 12 complexes throughout the UK.
An exercise of "seeing the city through the eyes of those with severe sight loss" was undertaken with a gentleman with severe sight loss in one area. This experience showed the difficulties of mobility in several quarters within the County Council and ultimately led to the opinions of the gentleman in question being given to local town planners as they reconstructed the area immediately outside the local railway station.
Further information
Please contact:
Stuart Davies - Community Services Manager
RNIB Cymru Community Services
Trident Court
Eastmoors Road
Cardiff
CF24 5TD
Email stuart.davies@rnib.org.uk
Telephone 029 2045 0440