Campaigns

Review of RNIB campaigns in 2007

Summary: Highlights of campaigning activity in 2007.

• Access to information
• Access to television
• Eliminating avoidable sight loss
• Health and social care
• Employment
• Income
• Further information

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During 2007 there has been a lot of activity and a number of successes across all six of our priority areas.

Access to information

Access to information was given special prominence in 2007. Most notable was the Children’s lobby of Parliament in March attended by over 250 children, parents and teachers. This allowed us to engage with a large number of MPs and meet the Children’s Minister Beverley Hughes. She was shocked by our campaign report “Where’s my Book?” and by the first hand accounts of educational exclusion, shared by a number of young lobbyists. Her Department has subsequently been co-ordinating action across Government and has offered funding for a pilot to improve access to curriculum materials – a breakthrough!

We have also launched an access to information roadshow that brings together service providers and blind and partially sighted “consumers” of information. The first of these was held in Chester in July 2007 and we will be visiting a further ten cities including Nottingham, Southampton and Bradford.

We took the Thinker stand to all three Party conferences in September and October 2007. The interactive stand based on Rodin’s sculpture “The Thinker” conveyed our access to information messages and provided us with the basis for effective engagement with MPs, Peers and Councillors. It won best stand award at the Labour Party Conference. The clip of Coronation Street with and without audio description proved very popular, helping us raise awareness of audio description and digital TV.

Access to television

Our campaigning on audio description (AD) focused on ensuring that the equipment needed to receive AD is available and on increasing the target for the proportion of programmes that are audio described by 20%. We have had some success with the Government and Digital UK agreeing that the set top box available under the BBC’s “Help” scheme must deliver audio description. We are now focusing on the lack of a talking on-screen programme guide. Targets will be the subject of a big marketing push in February 2008 and on a major campaign in Parliament.

Eliminating avoidable sight loss

Our main focus in 2007 has been on securing a positive outcome from the NICE appraisal of two new treatments for wet AMD – Lucentis and Macugen. With around half of all new blindness registrations due to wet AMD, positive guidance is vital. The initial proposals from NICE, published in June, were highly restrictive. However, following a high profile campaign that prompted an unprecedented 13,000 objections, NICE was persuaded to withdraw their draft Guidance. On 14 December 2007, NICE issued revised draft Guidance proposing that the anti-VEGF treatment Lucentis should be made available to treat the majority of patients with wet AMD, whether it is the first or second eye that is affected. These new recommendations mean that thousands could soon have their sight saved.

Health and social care

Our work to improve health and social care is increasingly focusing on local decision takers. In 2007 we produced a “Beacon Councils” report highlighting examples of good practice in the delivery of social care to blind and partially sighted people. This will be used in 2008 to engage with at least five Councils in England where provision is poor. We are also developing an enhanced advocacy service to challenge local authorities that are refusing to provide support to people with sight loss.

Employment

In the area of employment our campaigning over the past 4 – 5 years has borne fruit with the Government finally accepting the need to provide impairment-specific support services. This has been built into the roll-out of Pathways to Work and has allowed RNIB to work with Primary Contractors to deliver an expert tailored service to blind and partially sighted job seekers. Our campaigning in support of an employment continuum (including sheltered employment options) has contributed to the Government’s decision to review plans to close down most Remploy factories.

Income

We have continued to focus on the higher rate mobility component of DLA. Over 250 MPs have signed our Early Day Motion and we have had a number of meetings with key politicians including the Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Peter Hain. We have also worked closely with officials in DWP on a range of detailed practical issues. A decision from Government is expected at the beginning of 2008.

Further information

If you would like further information on any of our campaigns or would like to find how you can get involved, please contact us on 020 7391 2123 or campaign@rnib.org.uk

Content author: campaign@rnib.org.uk

Last updated: 08/04/2008 18:38