Students

Student services offered by RNIB Regional Centres

Summary: A summary of the support we offer, including contact details of our student officers around the UK.

• Overview of the support we offer
• Advice, guidance and advocacy
• Moving on
• Assessment
• Staff development and training
• Contacts
• Physiotherapy Support Service
• Order a factsheet

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Before you start studying, or while you are on a course, support is always available from your nearest RNIB Regional Centre.

Your college, university or education provider can also contact the RNIB Regional Centre directly for support if they are not sure how best to meet your needs.

Normally, your first point of contact will be with a local service such as a college or advice service, but if you have any difficulties, please contact the RNIB Regional Centre in the area of your study.

RNIB’s Regional Centres form part of RNIB's Devolved Services provision. Post Compulsory Education and Training Officers, based at each Regional Centre, provide support for blind and partially sighted students in further, higher and continuing education. They are also available to support staff and organisations providing post-compulsory education and training.

Overview of the support we offer

Support available includes:

• our series of factsheets for students, also available in braille and audio;
• advice on the support available at local institutions;
• help for students with specialist study skills;
• the RNIB PCET website for college staff;
• help for teachers with appropriate teaching strategies;
• advice on specialist equipment;
• additional curriculum support.

Advice, guidance and advocacy

We can help you find and get access to an appropriately supported learning programme. You and/or your institution can also get advice and information about access to transcription services, specialist library services, counselling services, mobility training and a range of services available from other agencies.

Moving on

We offer support during your transition from school to further study or from study into employment. This support is co-ordinated with RNIB Technology and Employment Officers.

Assessment

We can arrange an assessment of your learning and technology needs, in conjunction with your learning provider. We can follow this up with appropriate training on the use of specialist equipment. For further information, see learning and technology needs assessments.

Staff development and training

We provide specially customised on-site training and continuing support for teaching and support staff. Institutions wishing to improve their provision for blind and partially sighted learners can commission an audit to review policies, practices and procedures. An audit can then provide the basis for developing high quality support and services for students who are blind or partially sighted.

Finally, if you are unsure what sort of support or how much support you might reasonably expect from your college or provider or, if it is not clear what you are entitled to, please contact your RNIB Regional Centre.

If your college or provider seems unsure about the most appropriate ways of meeting your particular learning needs, please encourage them to contact the appropriate regional centre or visit our PCET website.

For further information about the services and support available from RNIB's Post Compulsory Education and Training Service, please contact your Regional Centre.

Contacts

South West England

Gloucestershire, City of Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset, Somerset, Wiltshire, Dorset, Devon, Cornwall, Torbay, Bournemouth and Poole.

Lee Smith
RNIB Regional Centre: South West
RNIB Bristol
10 Still House Lane
Bedminster
Bristol BS3 4EB
Telephone: 0117 953 7750
Direct line: 0117 934 1734
Fax: 0117 953 7751
Email: lee.smith@rnib.org.uk

London and the South East

London, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey, Sussex.

Gaynor Baugh and Jane Rumens
RNIB Regional Centre: London and South East
105 Judd Street
London WC1H 9NE
Telephone: 020 7391 2151
Direct line: 0207 391 2282
Fax: 020 7391 2195
Email: gaynor.baugh@rnib.org.uk
Email: jane.rumens@rnib.org.uk

West Midlands

Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, West Midlands.

David Carrington - Porter
RNIB Regional Centre: West Midlands
58–72 John Bright Street
Birmingham B1 1BN
Telephone: 0121 665 4200
Direct line: 0121 665 4220
Fax: 0121 665 4201
Email: david.carringtonporter@rnib.org.uk

East Midlands and East

Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Derbyshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Suffolk.

Catherine McMillan
RNIB Regional Centre: East Midlands and East
PO Box 8382
Loughborough
Leicestershire
LE11 9BL
Telephone: 01509 63 24 00
Direct line: 01509 63 24 03
Fax: 01509 63 24 01
Email: catherine.mcmillan@rnib.org.uk

Yorkshire, Humber and North East

Yorkshire, Humber, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, County Durham and Teesside.

Elvira Haeussler
RNIB Regional Centre: Yorkshire, Humber and North East
Grosvenor House
Grosvenor Road
Leeds
West Yorkshire
LS6 2DZ
Telephone: 0113 274 8855
Direct line: 0113 239 9413
Fax: 0113 274 8800
Email: elvira.haeussler@rnib.org.uk

North West

Cheshire, Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside.

John Maher and Tasneem (Taz) Arshad
RNIB Regional Centre: North West
The Gateway Centre
71 London Road
Liverpool L3 8HY
Telephone: 0151 298 3222
Direct line: 0151 298 3228
Fax: 0151 298 3250
Email: john.maher@rnib.org.uk
Email: tasneem.arshad@rnib.org.uk

Scotland

Sally McGreevy
Education and Learning Officer
RNIB Scotland
Dunedin House
25 Ravelston Terrace
Edinburgh EH4 3TP
Telephone: 0131 311 8500
Direct line: 0131 311 8520
Fax: 0131 311 8529
Email: sally.mcgreevy@rnib.org.uk

Northern Ireland

Martin O’Kane
RNIB Northern Ireland
40 Linenhall Street
Belfast BT2 8BA
Telephone: 02890 32 93 73
Fax: 02890 27 81 19
Email: martin.o’kane@rnib.org.uk

Wales

Nicola Crews
Manager: Education and Children’s Services
RNIB Cymru
Trident Court
East Moors Road
Cardiff
CF24 5TD
Telephone: 029 2045 0440
Direct line: 029 2044 9567
Fax: 029 2044 95 50
Email: nicola.crews@rnib.org.uk

Physiotherapy Support Service

This is a UK-wide service offering advice and guidance to staff and blind and partially sighted students on physiotherapy courses. Specialist leaflets are available which describe the different aspects of the service. See useful contacts and services for students for further details.

Contact:

Jane S. Owen Hutchinson, Manager
RNIB Physiotherapy Support Service
Mobile: 07748 65 74 57
Email: jane.owenhutchinson@rnib.org.uk

and/or:

Karen Atkinson, Manager,
RNIB Physiotherapy Resource Centre
Telephone: 020 8223 4950
Email: k.a.atkinson@uel.ac.uk

RNIB Physiotherapy Resource Centre
University of East London
Romford Road
London E15 4LZ
Telephone: 020 8223 4950
Fax: 020 8223 4954

Order a factsheet

You can get a fuller version of the information on this page in print, disk and email formats. Braille and audio versions can be produced on request. Please contact:

Karen Edwards, RNIB
Telephone: 01509 63 24 16
Email: karen.edwards@rnib.org.uk.

Student homepage

Content author: studentsite@rnib.org.uk

Last updated: 20/11/2008 11:13