Blind and partially sighted schoolchildren fare less well than their sighted peers when it comes to GCSE results and to general educational and social development.
One cause of poor achievement has been the lack of any cohesive system for producing accessible versions of textbooks. Blind and partially sighted children are often unable to get the books they need at the time they need them. This is despite the unstinting efforts of teachers and support staff, who have to spend hours cutting, pasting, scanning and re-formatting.
RNIB research has demonstrated clearly that these problems have a marked effect on the educational and social development of school pupils with sight loss across the UK.
We are therefore delighted that the Department for Education now funds a central resource base for the whole of Northern Ireland. The Regional Vision Resource Base (RVRB) is located in the Fortwilliam Centre, Belfast. This is a major step forward and will enhance the educational experience of blind and partially sighted children in NI.