Brian Paddick the Liberal Democrat candidate for London mayor recently visited RNIB's Judd St offices. He was keen to learn more about some of the equipment which enables blind and partially sighted people to remain independent and the access issues that they face on London's streets.
RNIB Resource Centre
Richard Holmes the Regional Campaigns Officer for London gave Brian a tour of the Resource Centre showing him a range of equipment including visual aids, computer access tech and also simple kitchen adaptations such as good lighting, liquid level meters and electrical equipment with audible output.
This then enabled a constructive discussion to take place about Disability Living Allowance and in particular how the government's proposals to reform this benefit to the new Personal Independence Payment (PIP) could make it more difficult for blind and partially sighted people to afford such aids and support.
Reviewing Issues on London's Streets
After his visit to the Resource Centre, Richard took Brian for a walk down Judd St where they discussed some specific London issues such as the need for all crossings to be fully accessible to VI people i.e. good clear bubble paving to indicate where the crossing is and audible and tactile indicators on the crossing point itself.
This was a very useful visit and it is clear that RNIB have fostered a good working relationship with Brian which will continue whatever happens at the election on 3 May 2012.