Publications Archive

New Beacon, December 1997, 81(959)

Summary: The leading monthly magazine on issues concerning people with sight problems

Editor: Ann Lee

© Royal National Institute for the Blind

In Depth

Developments in electronic mobility systems

RNIB's Chief Scientist, John Gill, describes some recent advances:

Over the last thirty years, considerable effort has been devoted to developing electronic systems to help blind pedestrians with mobility and orientation. Blind people have seen little practical benefit from all this activity, but within the next ten years there are likely to be significant advances which will bring practical benefit at affordable prices.

Electronic obstacle detectors

These devices often work in a similar way to radar, in that they send out a pulse and time how long it takes to bounce back from the nearest object. In devices for blind pedestrians, the pulses are usually ultrasonic, laser or infrared. The output to the user can be auditory or vibratory. Audible output has the disadvantage that it tends to mask other sounds which the user may want to hear. Vibratory output can only communicate a relatively small amount of information to the user - but this is not a severe limitation in a basic obstacle detector.

These detectors provide information about obstacles at a greater distance than can be detected by a long cane, and they can warn of obstacles at head height. However, all these devices have problems in reliably detecting a single step down. The more sophisticated devices may provide so much information about the environment that the user suffers from information overload. In the next few years, research is likely to concentrate on the automatic processing of the data so that only relevant information is provided to the user.

Information systems

These systems give you information at a specific location, such as at the entrance to a building. This information is normally in the form of a speech message.

It is possible to trigger an audible message whenever somebody approaches the location, but this can cause a nuisance for those who do not need it. The alternative is to use short-range infrared or radio signals, and the blind person carries a small receiver. This type of system can be used for giving the destination of buses or the next train.

A different approach is to use a contactless smart card or electronic tag which triggers an audible message from the terminal at a distance of a few metres. In this case the message comes from the terminal rather than from a device carried by the blind person. This type of system can help a blind person locate the terminal.

All these information systems require a considerable financial investment to install and maintain the infrastructure. Therefore, despite a very large number of successful pilot schemes, none of these systems has come into widespread use.

Positioning systems

In the last few years there have been dramatic developments in systems for helping military personnel accurately find their position using satellites. This technology is now being used by civilians for locating the position of vehicles. In its civilian version, the American global positioning system gives an accuracy of about 100 metres as long as the user has line of sight to at least three of the satellites. This accuracy can be improved to about two metres using an extra signal which, in Britain, is broadcast by Classic FM radio. For a car driving down a road, the line of sight limitation is not a major problem, since if the car goes under a bridge or in a tunnel this is usually for a short period of time. But blind pedestrians often walk on pavements close to tall buildings, so typically they will only receive an accurate position about seventy-five per cent of the time.

Another possible technology uses the relative strengths of signals at the base stations used for mobile telephony. This approach currently gives an accuracy of about a hundred metres, but considerable effort is being devoted to improving this accuracy.

Both these systems have the advantage that the infrastructure has been installed for the general population, and so does not have to be paid for from the limited funds available to support the blind community. More work is needed, however, before these systems will be of practical benefit to blind people.

Route planning systems

Traditionally blind people have used embossed maps, but their availability has been very limited and the quality variable. Now there are other possibilities in the form of electronic maps. Ordnance Survey have precise electronic maps of the whole of the UK which include details such as house numbers and position of pedestrian crossings. A blind person could therefore have a simple computer system with speech output which permits them to plan routes or explore an area.

Ideally, extra information could be added to these maps, such as associating a bus timetable with a bus stop. The collection and input of such extra information might be a task that could be undertaken by volunteers.

The future

Electronic obstacle detectors need to be significantly improved before they achieve widespread acceptance among the blind community, but ongoing research encourages the hope that within ten years these devices will be significantly more user-friendly.

With information and positioning systems, the major problem is one of finance. The current emphasis on adapting systems already installed for sighted people so that blind people can use them appears to be promising. The use of the mobile telephony infrastructure could also lead to practical, inexpensive systems.

Route planning systems appear rather mundane in comparison to satellite navigation systems, but offer the possibility of being available at reasonable prices in the foreseeable future.

Shape of things to come?

The MoBIC Project has developed a family of navigational aids. The MoBIC route planning system used in recent field trials employs a personal computer to give access to electronic maps and other information. The operational outdoor system (above) uses information fed from the computer and from a positioning system receiving signals from satellites.

The MoBIC (Mobility of Blind and Elderly People Interacting with Computers) Project - supported by the Commission of the European Union - has been using information gathered from field trials to evaluate the efficiency of these prototype systems in meeting user requirements. As technology progresses, the aim is to produce a MoBIC system that is lightweight, easy to operate and inconspicuous

  • Small earphone relays synthetic speech
  • Aerial receives signal from satellite
  • Compass for directional guidance
  • Batteries provide power
  • User operates by small hand-held keypad

An employment-based route to training

by the Pilot Project Team

There is at least one certainty in the field of rehabilitation - that there are insufficient numbers of qualified rehabilitation workers (one recent report estimated that the annual student throughput needs to increase from 60 to about 140, Reference 1). There are many reasons for this, including the difficulty in finding funding. However, an important factor is the difficulty many potential students have in leaving their home base to pursue a conventional course, based in a university or training agency.

It is for this reason that the three training agencies and the RNIB are, together, developing a distance learning programme which will use open learning materials to help students to study for a Diploma in Rehabilitation Studies at their own pace and in their own place. A strong hope that this will enable “non-traditional” students to acquire a qualification in rehabilitation work unites all those who are currently providing training.

The School of Social Work and RNIB Rehabilitation Studies at the University of Central England in Birmingham (UCE) has recently completed a project with Cambridgeshire Social Services

Department to pilot an employment-based route to the Diploma in Rehabilitation Studies. This is part of a wider strategy to provide a variety of routes by which people can qualify in rehabilitation work, without losing quality and maintaining standards. The employment-based route (EBR) has proved a “half-way house” to a distance learning route, and the team responsible for this pilot thought that readers of “New Beacon” would be interested to know about the factors which appeared to be significant to the success of the route itself, and for the particular student who followed it.

These factors now provide a “self-audit” to help potential students and their agencies consider whether the employment-based route is likely to be successful for them. The factors in the shaded areas are likely to be especially significant.

    NOTE: The person who teaches in the agency is termed the mentor; the contacts at the training base (UCE in this case) are the tutors; the person teaching the student on the placement is the practice teacher or “long-arm” teacher.

1 Preparation

1.1 Arrangements are in place at least three months ahead.

1.2 Knowledge of the training course is available via a course handbook specific to the employment-based route.

1.3 There is a written agreement prior to the period of study, detailing expectations.

Other factors useful to consider:

1.4 Is there prior knowledge of the training course by the mentor/within the agency?

1.5 What prior contacts have there been between the agency and the training course?

2 Student

2.1 The student's personal strengths include flexibility, adaptability, an ability to work under pressure and to study independently.

2.2 The student has prior experience of work with people with visual impairments.

2.3 The student is based at the mentor's work-site.

2.4 The student already has good working knowledge of braille.

2.5 The student does not carry a workload - except when on placement - but does have the opportunity to observe and “shadow” other workers.

Other factors useful to consider:

2.6 Has the student already completed some modules of the training course?
For example, the student in the pilot had already completed the Mobility module.)

2.7 What access does the student have to regular peer support?

2.8 Is there a need to consider opportunities for group learning?

2.9 How might service users be involved in the assessment of the student?

3 Mentor

3.1 The mentor has dedicated time set aside for the work with the student. (One and a half days per week over the three modules is considered to be a minimum. This includes preparation time. There is likely to be a greater demand on time at the beginning of the work-based study).

3.2 The mentor has an appropriate knowledge-base.

3.3 The mentor taps into a wider “teaching team”, looking for learning opportunities within the worksheet.

3.4 The mentor takes on the role of the student's personal tutor.

3.5 The mentor has access to a college-based tutor different from the student's.

Other factors useful to consider:

3.6 The mentor has appropriate qualifications.

4 Tutor

4.1 There are regular visits to the training base by the student, with face-to-face contact with the tutor.

4.2 There is weekly telephone access to a college-based tutor for the mentor.

4.3 There is face-to-face contact between all parties prior to the start of the employment-based study.

Other factors useful to consider:

4.4 There is opportunity for the student (and, to a lesser extent, the mentor) to speak with other college-based tutors - in connection with their subject specialisms.

5 Placement

5.1 The location of the placement, and the persons responsible for the teaching and supervision, are identified before the period of employment-based study begins.

5.2 The placement is separate from the student's worksheet base.

5.3 There is a rehabilitation worker on site with responsibility for specific, day-to-day supervision of the student.

5.4 There is a practice teacher with specific responsibility for teaching. (Preferably on site; otherwise, careful arrangements for long-arm teaching and supervision need to be made).

Other factors useful to consider:

5.5 How much knowledge and experience of visual impairment does the practice teacher/long-arm teacher have?

6 Agency

6.1 The employment-based study has the full support of the mentor's line manager, who is involved in the initial written agreement.

6.2 The full staff team as involved in finding learning opportunities for the student.

6.3 The agency training section is involved from the beginning.

Other factors useful to consider:

6.4 How can the mentor and student tap into available support and resources from the training section and other parts of the agency?

7 Resources

7.1 There are workbooks and other teaching materials available to support the mentor's teaching and the student's learning.

7.2 Adequate administrative support is available.

7.3 The student has good access to up-to-date equipment, etc.

Other factors useful to consider:

7.4 How might other appropriate agencies and the community be involved in the student's programme?

7.5 What access does the student have to audio- or video-tape recordings of college-based speakers they might miss?

Summary

The evidence from the pilot EBR project suggests that the concept of employment- based training is viable. Moreover, it can offer significant educational advantages over conventional modes of delivery; a more immediate relationship between theory and practice, and opportunities to develop service initiatives which are locally relevant.

It is clear that the success of this initial project has relied heavily on the energy, ingenuity and commitment of the personnel involved. It is not expected that the factors outlined in this article can be a hundred per cent present in every situation. However, the overall balance of positive/negative responses to the factors will provide an indication of the likely success of an employment-based route in any particular situation, and are being used to monitor a second employment-based student in a London borough.

Reference

1 Lomas, G (1997): Radical proposals for reshaping worker training (unpublished report)

Authors: The Pilot Project Team
At UCE: Tina Browne, Mark Doel, Julie Franks, Patrick Haywood, John Irvine, Pat Tinsell
In Cambridgeshire: Jane Drake, Ros Grey, Margo Griffiths, Alex Hartshorne, Frances Harding, Jan Stuart-Monteith, Linda Wake

  • In the next issue of “New Beacon”, Jan Stuart-Monteith writes an account from the point of view of a student on an employment-based route.

Letters

Have we reached information overload?

I think everyone agrees that blind and visually impaired people should have access to the same information as their sighted peers, plus access to specialist information which specifically relates to visual impairment, but has anyone really stopped to think of the implications of this?

As a person with very limited vision, married to a totally blind man, our doormat is constantly bombarded with large print and braille leaflets and taped information, all of it useful at the time of need, but most of it we actually don't need when it arrives. We stash it away thinking how nice it is to have the information, but the problem comes when we need it and try to find it. This proves difficult for us, but not nearly so difficult as it is for those people who rely exclusively on taped information and end up with large quantities of tapes, and the only way for them to find out what the tapes contain is to play them. Think about the time taken and the frustration built up when searching through a pile of tapes to find the bit of information you know is there somewhere, only to find that when the right tape is in the machine it is dated last year and the information may no longer be relevant.

Nowadays information providers seem to be obsessed with leaflets, fact sheets and the like to tell us what they think we need to know. I would like to suggest that for the vast majority of more mature visually impaired people we should look at meeting their information needs in a different way - in fact, I believe that when it comes to disseminating information to elderly visually impaired people there is no substitute for human contact. Since the demise of the home teacher there has been no routine welfare visiting of visually impaired people, but the establishment of home visiting and welfare visiting schemes by some of the local voluntary societies for the blind, and their undoubted success, I believe is ample proof that visually impaired people need human contact and human help in sorting out the many and varied difficulties which visual impairment brings.

My belief is based on contact and conversation with a number of visually impaired people who most likely do not have the facility to respond to letters in your columns, but I would be interested to know what other visually impaired people think.
M K Cash (Mrs), Guisborough

Bridging the gap

Further to Kevin Hewish and Carol Norwell's article in the November issue of “New Beacon”, I would like to supplement the article with some of our own experiences of a similar service in the Eye Department at Addenbrooke's in Cambridge.

Our Visual Impairment Information Service is now in its fifth year, consisting of a full-time NHS employee and a team of volunteers based in the outpatient Eye Clinic. The service aims to:

  • support visually impaired patients and raise staff awareness of the needs of visually impaired patients throughout the hospital
  • develop information resources for patients and staff
  • guide patients through the process of BD8 registration
  • bridge the gap between health and community services, making timely referrals to statutory and voluntary agencies
  • liaise with eye department medical staff and LVA staff as the patient's advocate
  • ensure that BD8 registration and LVA support is offered at a time when patients are emotionally strong enough to benefit from it, rather than having them presented in a negative light and offered as a last resort.

A recent survey of patients and staff found overwhelming support for the Visual Impairment Information Service as it:

  • saved considerable time in the department
  • offered patients a member of staff with whom to talk about BD8 registration and visual impairment at length
  • offered a named staff member to answer queries from social services and voluntary agency staff.

Our experiences support the development of liaison services, particularly within busy regional departments like ours. However, I believe that the success of such a service will depend on the level of commitment shown by departmental staff, space and funding.

Our own service was initiated by the eye clinic sister, who recruited patients as volunteers before securing funding for a full-time worker.

Our service is now funded by a combination of health, social services and voluntary agency moneys. Funding is not permanent, which has the effect of inhibiting much potential development.
Debbra Mortlock, Addenbrooke's NHS Trust, Cambridge

Training of rehabilitation officers

We write to update you on the situation with regard to our concerns on the above subject, as raised in our letter to “New Beacon” and the Training Board Visual Impairment in the April issue.

As a result of correspondence sent from the Yorkshire rehabilitation officers, the Training Board extended an invitation for a representative from our group to attend one of their meetings. Two of our members had recently been elected to serve on the Professional Body Working Party - therefore, with agreement, it was decided that we both should attend. This meeting took place on October 7 at Henshaw's College in Harrogate, where we were warmly welcomed. Prior to this event some of our earlier expressed fears had already been allayed by the declaration from the Board finally dispelling the expectation that all previously qualified rehabilitation officers would be expected to re-train to Diploma standard.

The Board also seemed to have opened up channels of communication to the workforce by publishing articles explaining their operations in “New Beacon”, thus making themselves more public.

Throughout the meeting there was open discussion on a full agenda of training issues to which we were party. Our overall impression was that all agencies were working towards a similar goal. Nevertheless, it was also obvious that each still has its own particular route to qualification and accreditation, although there was general agreement that it was now time to work more closely together. Evidence of this is the work being done on the standardisation of the distance learning programme on the Low Vision module.

One of the main concerns we raised was that of the confusion facing employers trying to make sense of and fully understand the competencies of prospective staff, given the variety of courses and qualifications they are faced with.

To help clarify this situation, the training agencies all agreed that in future qualifying students will have a “profile transcript” included with their diplomas. The transcript will itemise the options or modules which have been completed and list any particular areas of work which have been covered. Hopefully these should make things more understandable for employers, who will then be able to appoint appropriately and avoid confusion. We also emphasised the need for standardisation of competency in the core elements of rehabilitation work.

Since our comments seemed to have had a positive impact, we suggested that other practitioners should be invited to attend Training Board meetings to allow them to contribute.

This proposal was also welcomed, but following further discussion it was considered impractical to operate with some degree of consistency. Therefore it seemed sensible to invite a member of the Working Party to subsequent meetings. As a small group, we can feed back information to each other and then transfer on through our own regional networks. Conversely, comments and suggestions etc. can be routed back through regional networks and members of the Working Party to the Training Board.

In this way, hopefully, it will cease to be the anonymous entity of the past, and we can establish links with the professionals out there in the field. We felt that this was a positive step forward, and that we had actually achieved something tangible, which in time will hopefully reflect grass roots opinion.

At the close of business we were cordially thanked for attending, and appreciation was expressed for our comments and suggestions.

We were generally heartened by what we had heard, and the Board's willingness to listen and, where possible, address our concerns. Nevertheless, we acknowledge that some of the issues facing our profession will not be rapidly resolved. Changes will only evolve slowly, and will require a unified voice from our profession as a whole.

If we value ourselves and our client group, we must not now lose this opportunity to be a part of developments. The next Board meeting is to be held at UCE on 23 February 1998. Any comments may be referred back to a member of the Working Party for discussion. A further brief update will later be submitted to “New Beacon”.
Margaret Daley and Julie Shales
(Members of the Professional Body Working Party and Yorkshire Regional Rehabilitation Officers)

Correspondence via:
Margaret Daley, Rehabilitation Officer, Doncaster MBC, Social Services Directorate, PO Box 251, College Road, Doncaster, DN1 3DA
Julie Shales, Rehabilitation Officer, Wakefield MDC, Social Services, 32 Walkergate, Pontefract, WF8 1QS

Rehabilitation work and qualification

I am writing in response to John Crossland's letter concerning rehabilitation work and qualification in your October issue.

The picture of Mrs Bottomley did indeed show her wearing a sleepshade, working in a kitchen. Mr Crossland's assumption that the picture reflected the training methods within current rehabilitation worker training is inaccurate.

The photograph was an attempt to raise the profile and awareness of rehabilitation and its implications to the general public.

The use of simulation exercises within the training of rehabilitation workers is not intended to give experience of blindness or visual impairment to course members. It is a vehicle to allow trainees to apply teaching and learning theory to practice and to reflect on that.

Mr Crossland also makes reference to the lack of "academic underpinning", suggesting a "well-intentioned amateurism" exists. The current rehabilitation worker training is validated in all instances of the Training Board - Visual Impairment by universities, and in the case of the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association we are validated by the University of Birmingham, and subject to rigorous academic quality assurance from a university with international respect for its research into visual impairment.

It is also worth mentioning that the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association's School of Vision and Rehabilitation Studies itself has a number of its own research projects, which look at the quality and relevance of the current training of rehabilitation workers. All students are audited during and after their course to ensure we are meeting their learning needs and their subsequent employment roles. I am not aware that this was ever done previously.

We also have an Advisory Panel consisting of ADSS, NALSVI, Higher Education and ex-students etc. whose role is to keep us up to date on practice requirements, cultural trends and training needs etc.

I would also like to remind Mr Crossland that, whilst the merry-go-round is still spinning, significant numbers of practitioners have got off and decided that there is a need for a professional body. Many have already made a financial commitment to ensuring it is achieved.

Comments bemoaning rehabiIitation workers only serve to further plunge the profession into obscurity. Is it any wonder that parity does not exist with other care workers when specialists criticise their own qualification and the value and benefit to people with a visual impairment that their engagements make?

I am in agreement that more research is required of the end-user. The School is currently trying to secure external funding to ensure this research takes place as, like Mr Crossland, we recognise it is essential to know what the customer really needs and wants.

I believe all the training establishments are open to change and new thinking. Where Mr Crossland gains his knowledge of our hostility to theory and our inability to accept change, I do not know. I would like to invite Mr Crossland to the School to find out the facts for himself.
Simon Eamonson, Principal (Education), The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, School of Vision & Rehabilitation Studies, Hindhead

Professional body

I am encouraged by the report in the November issue on the position regarding a new professional body for rehabilitation workers. It is good to see the recognition of the importance that rehabilitation workers should not blur their identity by being too closely associated with other professional bodies.

If rehabilitation workers are going to play, and be seen as being capable of playing, a distinctive role in a well-integrated multi-disciplinary service for visually impaired people, they need to have a distinctive and well defined professional image.

Employing authorities need to be given a real understanding of the nature of rehabilitation as it applies to the visually impaired; that the rehabilitation worker is not an amateur generic worker, nor yet a worker with specialist skills to be called upon only after assessment by another professional.

The rehabilitation worker must be seen as the key person capable of assessing the needs of the visually impaired before, during and after certification. They need to have a good knowledge of the roles of all the other professionals involved with the client.

Over the years I have seen, and participated in, talks and presentations directed at giving other professionals an insight into the world of visual rehabilitation. With the exception of ophthalmologists and low vision optometrists, I can say that no other professionals have ever thought it worthwhile to explain their role with the visually impaired to me.

Let me wish this group of dedicated workers well in their efforts to create a professional body which will have an input into the training, employment, management and deployment of rehabilitation workers for the visually impaired.

Finally, is there any significance in the omission of former employees from the list of possible recruits to this new body?
Owen F Adams, Downpatrick

Magoo

In response to the letter from Bill Cross in your November edition, I have some thoughts.

Bill Cross has a point, and a valid one at that. Yes, the "vices, virtues and misfortunes" of human beings are the "very heart of tears and laughter". However, the humour of Magoo arises purely from the apparently totally disabling nature of his visual loss - I feel that those people with a visual loss, or an interest in the promotion of positive images of people with a visual loss, have every right to challenge the production and distribution of a major film based solely on this extremely negative image of visual loss.

Humour is not sacred. However clever, witty or intrinsically amusing a joke is, if its likely effect is the promotion of prejudice and ignorance with regard to groups of people who are systematically discriminated against within society, we must surely question its merits.

I also take exception to Bill Cross's assertion that humour is almost always at someone's expense. This. myth arises from an incomplete understanding of humour and does not stand up to any rigorous analysis. In fact, in so far as it is possible to define humour, the best offering I have heard is Jonathan Miller's thesis that humour arises out of the juxtaposition of mutually exclusive world-views.

A last point concerns the sermons mentioned which use analogies of sight for goodness and blindness for evil. Yes, yes, yes these should be, if not "outlawed", challenged at every possible opportunity - being a member of the clergy cannot possibly excuse the use of such anachronistic, offensive and inaccurate language. I would suggest Bill Cross makes use of the next occasion when he is subjected to such a torrent of prejudiced nonsense to have a quiet word with the offending member of the clergy and thereby further their education, lest their unchallenged sight-centredness results in the alienation of those members of their flock who are affected by the “evil” of blindness.
Andrew Thomas

Food for thought?

Jury service: Shortly before the 1997 general election, an acquaintance said to me: "You cannot be swayed by politicians' looks, as you are totally blind. So, on the evidence of your ears, whom do you consider best able to lead Great Britain for the next five years?" In view of this question, posed as it was by a highly intelligent and well-educated person, it might be considered that a totally blind person is actually more able than many other people to give "a true verdict according to the evidence".

Misguided vicars: I suggest any blind or partially-sighted person hearing sentiments of the kind described in Mr Cross's letter (“Magoo”, November) might consider expressing their views either publicly at the time of such a sermon, or subsequently in private to the offending vicar, in the hope of causing a re-think.

Smoke: As a non-smoker who finds any smoke uncomfortable, I am glad of the growing awareness of the desirability of “clean air” in public places. However, writing in early November, surely something ought to be done about the far greater nuisance of bonfires, from the smoke of which there is no easy escape. As a guide dog owner, I'd also welcome absence of fireworks for the period surrounding Bonfire Night - November 5 - as these cause considerable distress and inconvenience to many, both human and animal, and also much litter.
Richard Foster, Crowborough

Capitalisation in braille

I have read with great interest the fourteen letters which have appeared in the “New Beacon” between February and November 1997 with regard to the proposed introduction of capitalisation, announced in your “Letters” column in December 1996 by Bill Poole, Chair, BAUK. I note that eight of the contributors have expressed clear opposition to capitalisation, and a ninth has called for "more far-reaching and extensive research" before a decision is taken (Monique Raffray, September).

Having also studied the results of the BAUK survey 1996, published in “The British Journal of Visual Impairment” (1997, 15:1), I am deeply concerned that, out of an estimated active braille reading population of some 13,000 people (“RNIB Survey - Volume 1”, 1991), the votes in favour of full capitalisation include those of only 439 visually impaired respondents.

Anecdotally, in the course of my work over the past few months, I have encountered a significant number of braille users who, knowing nothing of the BAUK survey, stated that they would have been keen to participate in the vote. One appreciates that the difficulties of reaching the target sample in this survey are complex; however, as Damon Rose points out (“Letters”, November), it seems vital that additional tactics now be employed in order to maximise participation by braille readers in this momentous decision. If the introduction of capitalisation is to become a reality, then surely one would hope that more than 3.4 per cent of the braille-reading electorate would signal its support for this move?
Julie B Franks, Lecturer, Embossed Communications, School of Social Work and RNIB Rehabilitation Studies, University of Central England, Birmingham

Like Damon Rose (“Letters”, November), I too have not been personally asked my views on whether capitalisation in English Braille is necessary or desirable. I did take the opportunity of filling in the questionnaire in “New Beacon” when capitalisation was first discussed, but not during the current debate.

I know that there are people from overseas reading “New Beacon” and I wonder whether they are reading it in braille, and how they would cope with “English Braille” capitalisation. How many other braille codes use a capitalisation code in the world? How does this affect their reading of a second language, and are they able to switch from reading “American” to “English” braille easily?

Like Marion Ripley, I deplore the amount of time taken to decide on the future of capitalisation. This decision must also affect the output of the NLB as well as the RNIB's book programme. I am a user of the National Library for he Blind as well, and they have made no comment or asked our views on this subject. There are quite a number of books now available in American braille, and as time goes on these books may form a larger percentage of stock. A decision must be made quickly, once and for all, so that we can continue to read whatever material we would like, in accessible braille, or be penalised to an even greater extent by being relegated to only reading books that were printed “pre-capitalisation”.

Not every blind braillist wants to sit and read using their computer or from audio tape (particularly in view of the large number of abridged books available), and for these people braille is their Number 1 accessible tool.
Mrs Chris McMillan, Reading, e-mail: chris@mikesounds.demon.co.uk

I would like to add to the growing number of protests against the introduction of capitals to British braille. I am the chairman of the Fingertouch Braille Group which meets weekly in South Derbyshire to learn and improve our braille reading skills. We are mainly “mature” in age but young at heart, and there are about a dozen in our group. We are all strongly against any complication in our reading. Older people find the actual feeling of the dots is the most difficult part of braille, especially dots before a word. The italic sign causes a lot of problems to people with poor sensitivity in their fingers. I am sure that a dot 6 in front of a proper name beginning with the letter A will be confused with the ST sign. For the sake of older learners, we hope the BAUK will have second thoughts or at least reach some compromise.

I thought other small groups for the visually impaired would be encouraged to try for a Lottery grant when they hear that our group have been awarded £34,650 from the National Lottery Charities Board. This will enable us to purchase computers and printers for every member as well as scanners and an embosser. It is also to be used for the cost of transport to and from meetings.
Derek Hill, Derby

A plea for more friendly braille

I have been writing braille for some sixty summers. I learned on a small hand frame. I later acquired a Stainsby machine. I also used the splendid Pyke-Glauser but did not own one. It is a great pity that this fine machine was allowed to wither on the vine.

The Perkins writer then entered my life, with its large, almost square pages and single-sided braille. The Perkins was the forerunner of the embosser which produces braille from a computer. People with no knowledge of braille may now produce braille using translation software making dots on paper, but not knowing if it is braille. All of this is offered on large, twelve-and-a-half by eleven-and-a-half pages on one side. The page fits poorly into a brief case, and sits badly on shelves. Officers at RNIB have expressed concern that the price of manila paper will rise considerably in the near future. Single-side braille is very wasteful and it is now quite unnecessary. There are now embossers which can produce braille on two sides of Stainsby size paper. They can also use smaller size paper as well. We often receive one or two pages of braille inside a plastic skin posted flat, and crushed to an unreadable state in the post. This is unavoidable. Postmen have a lot to carry in their bag. If the A4 size page was used for this type of mailing, it could be sent in a manila envelope with less likelihood of damage.

At the meeting of the RNIB Independent Living Support Subcommittee on September 30, we were told that the stock of new Stainsby machines was nearly exhausted. When they were all sold, RNIB would continue to stock the Stainsby size paper for a further three years. We braillists protested vigorously. It ignored the number of people with machines which may remain in working order for many years, and also the owners of large size writing frames. Clearly, RNIB policy is warehouse space driven and not needs driven.

Single-sided braille is a nuisance. It takes up far too much room at meetings. Students have to carry much more paper than they should have to. If we want to keep the Stainsby size paper we must say so. If we want braille documents which take up less room we should say so.

If we fail to make our views known we will continue to be provided with awkward, unmanageable material.
Fred Jakeman, Birmingham

Discrimination

I was interested to observe in the October issue of the “New Beacon” reference to the unfortunate experience of a presumably competent blind lady who recently purchased a flat in Bournemouth and then had the devastating experience of objections being raised by her neighbours on the grounds of being a potential “fire risk”. One can only attribute this attitude to ignorance, and as stated in “Insight”, a clear case of discrimination.

My situation was equally devastating, but for different reasons. The problem arose when training with a replacement guide dog. The Association registered concern regarding my safety when having to take my dog for toilet purposes to the field behind the flats, especially early in the morning and late at night, maintaining that this was no longer safe under present-day conditions. Accordingly, the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association applied to Anchor Housing Association (now Guardian Housing) for permission to provide and erect at their expense a small, enclosed area nearer to my flat. This would have been six foot square, and covered in greenery to make it more aesthetically acceptable.

The housing association wrote to the occupants of the other 39 flats explaining the situation and requesting a Yes or No vote. I was informed that the "overwhelming majority" were against this provision. Why? Appearance? Snobbery? On health grounds?

The decision was reached in spite of the fact that a large area of the grounds was already set aside for many of the residents' air- polluting cars, giving them a luxurious way of mobility, yet they deliberately deprived me of the facility which enabled me to continue my only means of independent living in the community. Again, discrimination? An unenlightened attitude?

Subsequently, the training with my dog ceased, I sold my flat and am now thirty miles from the area known to me and from my old contacts.
Mrs Freda Lawrence, Burnham-on-Sea

AVHOW and AVHT - Towards a new organisation

In October, postal ballots of members of the Association of Visually Handicapped Telephonists (AVHT) and the Association of Visually Handicapped Office Workers (AVHOW) produced overwhelming votes in favour of, in simple speak, a merging of the two organisations.

My view is that there is a strong desire for a new vocational organisation that is well run and makes our work lives and prospects better. But as well as those who seek paid employment, there are many capable people who find themselves engaged in voluntary work; and the new organisation would ignore this latter group at its peril. We all share the same needs, to get the best out of new office technology and develop our personal skills. We all have the potential to give as well as to receive.

The new organisation will be a reflection on us, its members. As partially sighted and blind people, we want our needs to be understood and we want recognition for the things we do well. So our organisations should be an example of what we can do when given a chance.

So I look forward to the formation of the new organisation early in 1998; and I hope that all those people currently uncommitted to an organisation will become impressed enough to want to join us too.
Karl Farrell (Member of AVHOW), London N16

Stamp collecting

One of my correspondents had to give up her hobby of stamp collecting a few years ago, when her sight began to fail. She now retains some useful vision and is hoping soon to instal a closed-circuit television camera which will help her to resume her hobby once more.

Miss Martin has asked me the following question:

"Do you know of any other person who is visually impaired but still collects stamps? If so, I would very much like to get in touch with them in the hope of getting some advice and tips. I would be very grateful if you can help me in this."

I would be glad to hear from any of your readers who can help with advice which I can pass on to Miss Martin.
Tom Wilson, Editor, MEDI THEME, The Medical Philately Study Group, 162 Canterbury Road, Ashford, Kent, TN24 9QD - telephone 01233-623642

  • Note from Editor, “New Beacon”: We would also like to hear from readers who have continued stamp-collecting - or any other interesting hobby - after sight loss, and have advice and tips to pass on to other readers. The best will be featured next year in our Leisure section.

Insight

Support for older visually impaired people: A question of risk

At least 150,000 older blind and partially sighted people are being put at unnecessary risk as their needs are continuously ignored by local authority social service departments throughout England and Wales, says a shocking new campaign report from RNIB.

The result of two years' research, “A question of risk” reveals the extent of negligence by local authorities who are ignoring referrals of newly visually impaired people.

A central contention of “A question of risk” is that local authorities are failing to properly recognise and assess the needs of older blind and partially sighted people. Crucial to this is a failure to carry out a comprehensive assessment on receipt of a BD8 form (which certifies that a person is blind or partially sighted). In no local authority featured in the report was it policy to accord BD8 referrals a status which automatically triggers a full community care assessment.

Failure

Steve Winyard, one of the authors of the report, says:

"According to legislation, all people with a disability should have a full assessment. This is clearly not happening.
"Furthermore, many older blind and partially sighted people should be seen as a priority with respect to their level of risk. They are more likely to be at immediate risk of physical harm, particularly when attempting to cook or move around the home.
"The failure of the community care system to deliver an adequate service to older visually impaired people is unjust and inefficient. As central government cuts the budgets of local authorities, services are being rationed and denied to people who are in real need."

RNIB says that it is aware of many cases of older visually impaired people being put at risk. One such case is that of a 73-year-old woman who, through lack of assessment and rehabilitation, was in danger of setting fire to the house as she attempted to use a chip pan.

One recommendation of “A question of risk” is that all people who are referred and are identified as having a visual impairment should have a full community care assessment as a matter of priority. In addition, central government should provide sufficient resources to local authorities to allow them to provide services to older visually impaired people who are found to be at risk.

  • “A question of risk” can be obtained free from RNIB Customer Services on 0345-023153.
  • RNIB has also developed a discussion paper, “Future vision”, to help provide clear guidance on how social care services for blind and partially sighted people should be arranged, and how the key recommendations of “A question of risk” could be implemented. It is produced as a consultation document and can also be obtained free from RNIB Customer Services on 0345-023153.

Excellence for children: Meeting special educational needs

More support for parents of children with special needs, and developing special schools as centres of excellence, are included in a far-reaching review of special education launched at the end of October by Education and Employment Secretary David Blunkett. The publication of a Green Paper – “Excellence for all children - Meeting special educational needs” - began a process of consultation on how to achieve high-quality provision for all children with special educational needs (SEN).

Speaking at the launch Mr Blunkett said:

"Schools identify almost one child in five as having some sort of special educational need. That is why provision for children with SEN has to be part and parcel of our whole approach to raising standards for all children. Our proposals, in the Green Paper, for improving special education build on the principles of our White Paper, “Excellence in schools”. Indeed our policies for effective early intervention where children are falling behind in basic skills should mean that in future fewer go on to develop a special educational need.
"This Green Paper proposes practical steps - including the use of information and communications technology - to bring about a transformation in the way we help children with special educational needs.
"We want to see:
  • basic problems tackled earlier and more effectively
  • more children with SEN in mainstream schools, and those in special schools not necessarily to be there throughout their school career
  • better partnership with parents, with schools and local authorities really involving parents in decision making
  • better training in SEN for teachers and others, ensuring that staff have the skills, knowledge and understanding to make a reality of our proposals for raising standards for all children with SEN
  • innovative developments in the role of special schools
  • emphasis on practical support, not bureaucracy
  • better co-operation between local agencies to support children with SEN
"The present law, including statements for some children, is there to protect the interests of the vulnerable. We shall not change that. But we want the emphasis to be on practical support, not procedures. Schools should take responsibility for all their pupils, with support from the LEA where necessary, but with as little formal machinery as possible.
"We are setting out proposals to realise our vision. The first step is very wide national consultation on the ideas in this Green Paper. At the same time, we are announcing an early programme of practical projects, to get off the ground over the next few months. This will include:
  • working with a group of schools and LEAs on how to promote inclusion and find ways for special and mainstream schools to support one another
  • setting up pilots in two regional government offices, to consider regional planning arrangements for some aspects of SEN provision
  • running a programme of practical workshops to help special schools for children with emotional and behavioural difficulties improve the achievement of their pupils.
"Following the consultation period, our new National Advisory Group on SEN will put to me proposals for action over the next five years to put in place the measures necessary to raise standards for all children with special needs. We recognise that, in the long run, we shall not get far without putting real resources behind these initiatives. This will be a priority area as more money becomes available. This Green Paper sets out clearly the targets against which we are prepared to be judged. I believe that in five years' time we will see real progress."

Copies of the Green Paper are being sent to all schools in England, local education authorities, social services departments, health authorities and voluntary organisations with an interest in special education. The consultation period on the Green Paper runs until 9 January 1998. A separate Green Paper has been published for WaIes.

RNIB conferences:

The implications of the Government's Green Paper on Special Educational Needs form the focus of a series of one-day conferences currently being held by RNIB. The regional conferences are taking place throughout England and Wales in November and early December, to give those who work with, care for and support visually impaired and multi-disabled visually impaired children, as well as young people themselves, the opportunity to have their say.

Amir Majid

Richard Lane reports:

Dr Amir A Majid, currently Barrister at Cloisters Chambers, London, and Reader in Law at London Guildhall University, has become only the second blind person inthe UK to be selected as a judge. His appointment last month as part-time Immigration Adjudicator means that he will be the sole judge presiding over cases such as political asylum, spouse entry to the UK and other immigration issues.

Dr Majid is also the first blind person who has studied for and completed the dual qualification of Barrister-at-Law and Doctor of Civil Law (DCL). He started his professional career as a merit research fellow at the Institute for the Advancement of Learning of McGill University in Montreal, and after seeing as Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Lecturer and Senior Lecturer, is now a Reader in Law at London Guildhall University.

Dr Majid co-chairs -with Ms Christine Oddy, MEP - the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation Foundation of the United Kingdom (SAARC Foundation UK). This organisation campaigns for the prevention of blindness in seven SAARC countries of South Asia. He also serves on the executive bodies of RNIB, the Discrimination Law Service, the Greater London Association of Disabled People (GLAD), the Association of Blind Asians (ABA), and Norlington School, Leyton, London.

"RNIB is delighted that Dr Majid has been appointed to an important judicial post of this kind", said John Wall, RNIB Chairman and Britain's first blind judge.

"This decision recognises that blind people are just as able to undertake important civil duties as people who are fully sighted."

Raising the profile of self-help - Information on organisations

Robert Powell writes:

Do you run an organisation of visually impaired people? If so, RNIB wants to hear from you.

We are currently compiling a booklet on national organisations of blind and partially sighted people. For four years now I have been in post within RNIB to try and help organisations of blind and partially sighted people, to recruit more members. In 1994, RNIB published an information pack giving details of the organisations represented on RNIB's Executive Council. This included contact details, together with a brief summary of the aims, achievements and activities of these organisations. The publication proved to be very popular, and I am sure it helped self-help organisations to recruit.

RNIB now seeks to expand the publication, to include a much wider range of organisations. We therefore need to contact organisations of blind and partially sighted people. For the purposes of this booklet, the definition of an organisation of visually impaired people is “one in which the majority of members, and the majority of the governing council or committee, are visually impaired”. And-the definition of “national” is any organisation in which membership is not restricted by geographical area.

If you run an organisation of blind and partially sighted people, and you want your organisation to be included in the booklet, it is important that you contact me as soon as possible, and certainly no later than the end of December.

The booklet will be published in print, on disk, on tape and in braille. It is also hoped that the details will be available on RNIB's website. By this means, we hope to publicise the existence and functions of organisations of blind and partially sighted people to a much wider audience than has hitherto been possible.

RNIB hopes to launch the booklet some time in the middle of 1998, though this will depend to some extent on how many new organisations we manage to reach - hence the tight deadline.

If your organisation is already represented on Group D of RNIB's Executive Council, you do not need to contact me. I have already been in contact with representatives from your organisation, and the process of compiling your entries is well under way. But if your organisation is not represented on RNIB's council, I would very much like to hear from you.

There are a number of ways to contact me:

  • You can telephone me on 0171-388 1266 extension 2008.
  • You can write to me, Robert Powell, Executive Council Development Officer, Royal National Institute for the Blind, 224 Great Portland Street, London W1N 6AA.
  • You can e-mail me: rpowell@rnib.org.uk.

Help raise the profile of self-help in the UK, be part of this new publication - contact me by the end of December.

Rehabilitation Workers Conference 1997

Jane Kippax writes:

This year's conference was hosted by the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association's School of Vision & Rehabilitation Studies, and was held at the University of Birmingham on September 9 and 10.

Attendance overall was good, with some ninety delegates being present on each day. Over 70 per cent of the delegates were from social services departments, the remaining 30 per cent from the voluntary and education sectors.

The feedback that we have received to date suggests that the whole event, including facilities, organisation, speakers and workshops, was very successful.

The main themes of the conference were:

  • service provision
  • monitoring and evaluating services
  • monitoring and evaluating customer satisfaction
  • staff development.

The conference was opened by David Mason, Director of Social Services, Warwickshire County Council. Mr Mason talked about the value of services to people with a visual impairment, and stated that directors are willing to listen. However, he made the point that the emotional argument had to be based around a structured and factual business plan which demonstrates value for money, benefit to the user and the provider of services.

Whilst this may appear somewhat negative, Mr Mason suggested that the current climate in respect of services to people with a sensory impairment was good. Indeed, discussion and debate is currently taking place at a high level within the Association of Directors of Social Services. In addition to this, there is currently an SSI inspection of services to people with a visual impairment.

During the next two days a wide variety of speakers took the floor, and a number of workshops were run on various subjects.

The mood of the conference was fairly upbeat, and speakers - whilst recognising the current inadequacies of the service - were generally positive about the potential opportunities that existed to ensure that the services continued to grow and develop.

We are currently compiling summaries of the speeches, and these will be published in the next three issues of the School's free newsletter, “Rehab Today”.

The School of Vision and Rehabilitation Studies would like to thank all the speakers and contributors for their time and expertise, which helped to make the event such a success.

More money needed if carers are not to lose out

Social services chiefs and Carers National Association have joined forces and called for more money to support carers in the future. The call coincides with the publication of the second part of a major survey looking at how the Carers Act is working one year on. “In on the Act - Social Services experiences of the Carers Act”, is a joint survey by ADSS (Association of Directors of Social Services) and Carers National Association, and follows “Still battling”, published in June 1997.

The Carers Act, which came into force in April 1996, entitles a carer to an assessment of their needs. This placed a new duty on social services to take account both of the carers and the person being cared for when deciding on the level of service to provide.

The fact that no funds from central government were allocated to implement the Act when it came into force is a major issue for many authorities, and raises serious concerns about the provision of community care in the future. In the survey, seventy-five per cent of responses from local authorities cited lack of financial resources as the greatest difficulty in implementing the Carers Act.

Strategy

The report calls on the government to produce a national carers strategy, to include health, social services, housing, voluntary, private and independent sector inputs, in consultation with ADSS, CNA and other voluntary organisations.

"Undoubtedly the Carers Act is a good thing", says Roy Taylor, President of the Association of Directors of Social Services.

"It has been a prime motivator in securing change - stimulating new initiatives and enhancing overall support. But we were adamant from the start that it needed additional government funding and indicated a minimum need of £40 million. The response by local authorities, and indeed by carers, in “Still battling”, bears this out time and again."

  • Copies of “In on the Act” are available from: Carers National Association, 20/25 Glasshouse Yard, London, EC1A 4JS. Price £10.

Anglo-Nigerian Welfare Association for the Blind

In the latest report from the Association, the Chairman describes a recent visit to Lagos

In the year since we took possession of our refurbished Centre in Lagos, much has been achieved. Air conditioning has been installed - essential as the heat and humidity can sometimes make working conditions almost impossible. A generator was another requirement, since the frequent power failures mean that for long periods our braille computer and printer remain silent. At a reception given by the cement firm which has been so generous to us, a big Nigerian corporation promised me a portable generator. So that is one problem solved.

The Centre is very attractive, and the staff of five are happy to be working for blind people. Lanlami now has an assistant, Chinwe, who acts as his secretary and is responsible for the administration of the Centre, and for carrying out his detailed programme.

The most important item of equipment is the braille computer and printer. English texts are scanned, edited on the monitor, and then printed in braille. The paper used for printing is made up of old annual reports and balance sheets given to us by a number of firms. Five books have been produced so far, and while I was there Danlami and I prepared a “Braille Book Project” to be sent to all federal and state schools to find out the exact names, locations and requirements of all blind school children.

We have two Perkins braillers, which are in constant use to turn into braille the many study notes and hand-outs that students bring to the Centre - in September the two people who use these machines produced 1185 sheets of notes in braille.

There is a library of some 50 books in braille, and a cassette library of 175 recordings of classics, novels, and many English texts which are used in schools. The books are loaned, while copies of the master cassettes are sold at cost to students or loaned for home pleasure.

The blind people who visit each complete a registration form and become a member of the Centre, entitling them to have documents brailled, borrow books, buy or borrow cassettes, and buy braille paper at a subsidised price - a concession that is eagerly taken advantage of.

This progress has only been achieved because of the great help we have received from our Friends, from schools and from charitable trusts.

Our next big task is the establishment of a mobility programme. We have been liaising with the Department of Special Education at Jos University; and the plan is for one of their graduates, with a degree in special education for the visually handicapped, to join us for two years while he works on his PhD. We shall carry out mobility training in our compound, and individual living training in a portacabin specially equipped with the items that one would usually find in a home. But all this will require additional funding which we have yet to find, and continued support from our generous donors is much appreciated.

  • Anglo-Nigerian Welfare Association for the Blind. Registered office: 50 Peckarmans Wood, London SE26 6RZ - telephone 0181-693 9707.

In Brief

New appointments at RNIB

RNIB has announced the appointment of Catherine Casserley as Legal Officer. Catherine will provide an expert resource at RNIB for legal information and advice for staff and blind and partially sighted people, including looking at some test cases relating to the Disability Discrimination Act.

Before joining RNIB, Catherine was employed as a barrister in a psychiatric hospita! law centre, and has worked as a legal officer for the Confederation of Health Service Employees and in law centres. She is a member of the executive committee of the Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers, of the Lawyers International Forum for Women's Human Rights and of Gray's Inn.

Charlie Dixon has been appointed as Assistant Director, RNIB Housing and Environmental Services.

Charlie Dixon has recently been employed at St Pancras Housing Association as Community Care Manager, managing and developing special needs housing, domiciliary care, care and repair and other community care services. He has also worked for East Thames Housing Association as New Initiative Manager in special needs housing, co-ordinating their annual development strategy, exploring new initiatives, and managing and developing new partnerships.

Websites

RNIB - A hot site

RNIB's website has received an accolade from SoftQuad, which chose it as their site of the month for October. Their citation reads:

"Royal National Institute for the Blind - a site packed full with useful information, yet so well organized that getting lost is not an option. The RNIB website is extraordinary among those we receive here at the Metalworkers Site Gallery. The RNIB presents a wealth of information related to visual impairment and services for the visually impaired, including a braille translator and true-type font for Windows."
Educators and parents

Chris McMillan writes:

It contains information about access software, braille/tactile resources, publications, courses, plus some on-line resources on laptop computers and braille production.

The site aims to support the non-expert. However, it contains plenty .of references and may also be of value to the expert who wants to locate a resource in a hurry.

The focus is very much on the UK situation.

  • Comments from fellow readers would certainly be appreciated - either for improving the site or including new sections. Contact: chris@mikesounds.demon.co.uk
  • Please let us know if you have, or have used, a website which could be of interest to other New Beacon readers. Our e-mail address is: alee@rnib.org.uk

Dear BRIT....

RNIB Benefit Rights and Information Team (BRIT) answers readers' enquiries about social security benefits and local council social services.

Each month, two letters are answered in this section. If you have a question you would like to put to BRIT, please contact us at the address which is given at the end.

Dear BRIT

I am a registered blind person and have recently moved into a new one-bedroom house on the edge of town. I do not work, and my only income is from social security benefits. I cannot afford to buy and have a telephone installed, which I desperately need to keep in contact with my family and friends. Are you able to help at all?

BRIT replies:

You may be able to obtain assistance with the provision of a telephone, installation and rental costs through your nearest social services department - if you live alone, or are often left alone, or live with someone who is unable to get out to a phone in an emergency, or if you need a phone for medical reasons.

You may also be able to obtain help if you are on a low income and are unable to obtain help towards the cost of a telephone from family or friends. Social services may also be able to put you in touch with organisations such as Telephones for Blind, and other organisations for registered blind people who are sometimes able to contribute.

RNIB Benefit Rights and Information Team have produced a factsheet, “Help with the cost of a telephone”, which goes into more details about the help which may be available. You can obtain a copy of this from the Benefit Rights & Information Team on 0345-66 99 99 - ask for extension 2099.

Dear BRIT

I am registered blind and I have been getting DLA lower mobility and lower care since 1992. I have tried to get the middle care component several times since the Mallinson ruling, and failed. I left it until the House of Lords judgement in the Halliday case and tried again. This time they said that they would not even review my claim because they had already looked at my case in the light of the Halliday ruling. What should I do?

BRIT replies:

We have been dealing with many calls like yours. The short answer is that once you have had a review on the basis of a particular change in the law, you cannot have another one unless you can show they continued to make an error of law.

The Benefits Agency are saying that all claims and reviews since 15 October 1994 have been considered in the light of the Halliday case, as this was the date of the commissioners' decision which laid down the principle that social activities should count. If you let the three-month time limit lapse, you can only get a review on limited grounds. For example, the change in the law due to the Halliday judgement, which is effective from 15 October 1994, is a ground, but you cannot keep using it.

Another ground is that your circumstances have changed leading to increased care needs, or that the Benefits Agency ignored or did not know about something relevant to your claim for DLA care.

How you present your request for a review is crucial, so please contact RNIB Benefit Rights for advice on the best way forward. As it can be hard to get a review, it is even more important not to give up if you are turned down, so keep in touch with us at each stage.

  • Dear BRIT welcomes your views. If you would like to comment on the issues discussed, or if you are experiencing any difficulties yourself, please contact: Dear BRIT, c/o RNIB Benefit Rights and Information Team, 224 Great Portland Street, London W1N 6AA -telephone 0345-66 99 99; fax 0171-388 2034.
  • Please note, we can only answer enquiries relating to social security benefits and local council social services.

Leisure for All

Dogfish do it in darkness

Last year a new club was formed to promote and provide scuba diving as a sport for visually impaired people. Dogfish Diving Club is a special branch of the British Sub-Aqua Club which operates as part of the Guide Dog Holiday Group. To introduce the Club's programme of activity for the coming months, Liam Flynn describes his first experiences of diving with the club.

I made the step entry and surfaced. The dive marshall on the jetty yelled to give me orientation and I returned the OK. Tim, my dive buddy, closed in and we snapped the floated line into place. We exchanged hand squeezes as a mutual OK and I signalled “down” (all signals for blind divers are tactile). The floated line allows the blind diver to move away but still retain an idea of their buddy's position. If the buddy is in distress, the visually impaired diver can locate and retrieve them without delay.

We had two dive objectives. The first to locate the cockpit wreck which lies at the edge of the six-metre shelf of Stoney Cove. The second, for the blind diver to lead.

There is a misconception that visually impaired people like to be “taken” diving. The purpose of the Dogfish Club is to provide an environment where visually impaired people can become divers in their own right - maximum independence without compromising safety being the rule.

I adjusted buoyancy until I just touched bottom. From below the jetty, the bottom slopes down to the shelf edge. I followed the slope down, my ears confirming the gradual increase in depth. Tim paralleled to my right, indicated by the floated line. We reached the shelf edge and halted. I dropped my legs over to ensure that it wasn't just a large rock. It wasn't. I held out my gauge to Tim. He checked my air and counted the bars on my hand -, a fist for every fifty and a finger for the remaining tens. Air integrated talking dive computers will soon remove the, need for this, although it will always remain a fall back drill. Checks complete, I pointed to the right and imitated a plane. Tim confirmed with a hand squeeze, and we moved off. We followed the shelf edge, skirting large rocks and the strange flotsam of quarry bottoms. We found the wreck with little difficulty; the buzz was tremendous. This was an excellent finish to a great course.

The course had lasted a week. There were seven students - three sighted and four with varying levels of visual impairment. The Novice 1 was completed in the swinming pool at the RNIB Worcester College; the Novice 2 in open water at Stoney Cove. It was one of the most professionally run courses I have ever attended, and I was relieved to find that the club was not a “sympathy” group.

I look forward to diving with them again. Further courses are planned for next year. If you would like to get involved with the Dogfish Diving Club, please contact Jeff Downing on 01703-510397.

Who can join:

The club is open to all members Of the Guide Dog Holiday Group. Membership is £10 and anyone can join. You do not have to be visually impaired to join GDHG or Dogfish Diving Club - the club can't function without the support of sighted divers. All members who wish to undertake full diver training must obtain a full diving medical.

Training:

All students have to undertake standard BSAC training. On top of this they have to learn special tactile signals which the Club has developed, following safe diving practices. BSAC Work Books and the “Sports Diver Manual” are available on cassette, and there are plans to make material available in braille and large print.

  • For more details about Dogfish Diving Club, contact the club secretary: Jeff Downing, 44 Crabwood Road, Maybush, Southampton, SO16 9FE - telephone 01703-510397,

Leisure Notes & News

BBC statement of promises to viewers and listeners

Denise Evans, RNIB's Broadcasting Officer, provides an update on the BBC's commitments to its audience.

At the end of last year I reported on the BBC's first statement of promises, which included access issues for visually impaired viewers.

The BBC has now produced this year's statement, which provides a summary of the past year's performance and the promises for the coming year. For this year the BBC's promises include:

  • "providing quality programmes that inform, educate and entertain"
  • "reviewing local radio services to establish their role and appeal for their communities, and to ensure that we are providing the programmes you want to listen to"
  • "representing all groups in society accurately, and avoid reinforcing prejudice"

BBC's commitment to its visually impaired audience

The BBC promises "to improve access to our services" by being "committed to provide a more accessible service to our disabled viewers and listeners". The BBC mentions that it has received comments on "on-screen text subtitling and audio description for television". It states that the BBC "responded to these needs last year, and will introduce further improvements this year".

Use of text on screen:

According to viewers who contact me there has not been an improvement in the use of text on screen, and this is an issue that RNIB will be pursuing with the BBC. For anyone who feels strongly about this issue, a direct approach to the BBC should help production staff understand the problems that text causes.

Contacting the BBC:

  • The “Statement of Promises” is available in print, large print and braille and can be obtained from: BBC Promises, Broadcasting Support Services, Freepost PAM 4318, London W12 8BR, or by calling 0990-118811.
  • To contact the BBC for comments or complaints on any programme issues, write to BBC Viewer and Listener Correspondence, Villiers House, The Broadway, London W5 2PA, or call the Television Information Office on 0181-743 8000 or the Radio Information Office on 0171-580 4468, or send an e-mail to vic@bbc.co.uk

The BBC promises to improve access to its services. Let's try to make sure it does so by telling it when it is letting visually impaired listeners and viewers down.

News from Art-sense

October 1997

Art-sense is delighted to announce that it became the owner of Willem Boshoff's Blind Alphabet C inAugust 1997. We anticipate its arrival in this country around Christmas time.

Following the release by the National Lotteries Board of its generous grant, Blind Alphabet C is about to be shipped via part- load container to Southampton. From there it will travel to the National Library for the Blind in Stockport, where it will be both stored and displayed in the short term.

Meanwhile we are in the process of drawing up a pack of supporting information and instructions for host venues. We are pleased to announce that this work will be undertaken by Art-sense's publicity officer, Annabel Longbourne.

We now have a number of links with museums, art galleries and educational institutions, following three presentations this year in Birmingham and Manchester.

If any organisations are interested in making provisional bookings for Blind Alphabet C, please contact Angela Falk at the address given at the end of this report. Art-sense anticipates that museums and galleries will pay £ 100 a week to hire all or part of the sculpture, plus insurance and one leg of the transport costs. There will be a requirement for host venues to hire the services of a visually impaired guide, and Art-sense hopes to be in a position to pay half the costs. Costs to other venues will be treated as individual cases and will be by negotiation.

Art-sense is in the process of becoming a registered charity.

To develop its aims, Art-sense is seeking the support of interested people to join either its main committee or specific subcommittees, which will be set up to cover various aspects of our intended work around Blind Alphabet C - educational, developmental, creative, research, and so on.

  • If you are interested in contributing to the work of Art-sense in any way, please contact one of the Art-sense officers named below:

    Angela Falk, 45 Blenheim Road, Moseley, Birmingham, B13 9TY - 0121-449 7705

    Megan Hughes, 9 Kenton Walk, Dawlish Road, Selly Oak, Birmingham, B29 7AB - 0121-472 5371.

76-year-old who never says never

Nick Chetwood writes:

Dennis Daymond-John was born in Somerset in 1921. From birth, he suffered from visual impairment due to premature degeneration of the macula major, and by March 1980 he was registered blind. Having come to terms with this, he faced another blow in June 1982 when he lost his hearing.

Despite these difficulties, Dennis has let nothing stand in his way. He has recently completed a 550-mile journey from St Petersburg to Moscow in aid of Guide Dogs for the Blind and, in so doing, he succeeded in raising over £2,000 for the charity.

"The Russia trip was amazing", said Dennis, who is married with two grown-up children. "It was a real experience, and I saw a side of Russia that most tourists will never see. I would encourage anyone interested in foreign travel to think about an expedition like this. Team spirit was fantastic and I made a lot of new friends. I also knew that I was raising money for a good cause, and that helped spur me on. You're never too old to take up a challenge and, with an organisation like Guide Dogs for the Blind behind you, you know things will be well organised and that it will be a lot of fun."

There were 95 cyclists on this GDBA adventure and, of these, 23 were visually impaired people riding on tandems.

Disability and Russian cycle rides are not the only challenges Dennis has overcome. In 1993, at the age of 72, the ebullient and insuppressible Dennis did a 15,000-foot parachute jump for charity. Two years later, he covered 1,000 miles in ten days when he cycled from John o'Groats to Land's End.

To date, Dennis has raised over £125,000 for charity, and he very understandably regards this as one of his biggest achievements in life. It was, in fact, for his services to charity that he was awarded an MBE in 1995.

When asked about his next adventure, Dennis said: "If I have the time I would just love to take part in the Mountains and Mules of Morocco trip which GDBA is organising next year. It would be a tough challenge, but I know they would give me lots of fundraising support and encouragement and it would be a great way to make more friends. What's more, I know from the Russian trip that the group atmosphere will be superb, and that will get everyone through".

  • For further details about the sponsored trek across the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, please contact Nick Chetwood on 01539-735080.

Solo voyage by blind sailor

Blind yachtsman Geoffrey Hilton-Barber sets out this month to sail single-handed from Durban, South Africa, to Fremantle, Australia - a voyage of some 4,500 nautical miles.

Mr Hilton-Barber - a 50-year-old all- round sportsman who is past chairman of the South African Sports Association for the Disabled - is hoping to achieve the first single-handed ocean crossing by a blind person. During the past eight years, two blind sailors have attempted crossings - both from New York to England - but both were forced to retire because of electronic equipment failure.

The vessel which Mr Hilton-Barber has chosen for his voyage is the ten-metre sloop Abacus, which has already been used with great enthusiasm by blind sailors in South Africa, where sailing weekends held by the Royal Natal Yacht Club have become a popular annual event. Abacus is a Charger 33, with a shorter masthead rig and heavier keel than the standard design, and is said to be a stable vessel which performs extremely well in variable winds, a virtue which will be put to the test during the crossing to Fremantle. The sloop has wide, uncluttered side decks and has proved to be ideal for short-handed sailing. The yacht carries approved kit for ocean passages and single-handed sailing - power supplies, autopilot and wind pilot systems, satellite and SSB radio communications, etc. - as well as additional equipment and back-ups for safety reasons. Special equipment includes an autohelm audio compass and other instruments with audio output, including GPS, wind, depth and log systems.

The voyage, which has been planned for several years with the assistance of experienced single-handed sailors, will take the Abacus from the busy port of Durban across a route which passes south of the Indian Ocean high and north of the “roaring forties”. The general strategy will be to sail across between latitudes 35 and 40 degrees south, but the position of the high and oncoming low pressure cold fronts will be monitored during the voyage and radioed from Durban, so that the route can be reviewed if necessary. A northerly course will be set for the approach to Fremantle, and radio communication will be made with Fremantle Harbour from 500 miles out. Abacus will be met by an escorting vessel for the final approach.

Geoffrey Hilton-Barber is an experienced sailor who started sailing in 1975, when failing eyesight made it difficult to continue sport parachuting, in which he is a past record-holder. Born in 1947 in Harare, Zimbabwe, he emigrated to South Africa in 1965. He is a former manager of Transvaal Society for the Blind and Director (1981-97) of the Natal Society for the Blind. In addition to his sailing activities, he has represented South Africa twice in track events for blind athletes and at international events for the disabled. He owned a catamaran and dinghy before deciding to become a keel-boat sailor, and besides racing and cruising in South African coastal waters he was a member of the crew of four which sailed the sloop Kildonan from Rio via Tristan da Cunyha to Cape Town in February 1996. He is married with three children.

Railway Museum

The National Railway Museum, York, has produced a large print access brochure which provides details of visitor services and a large clear print map.

  • If you would like a copy or require further information contact the Public Affairs Department, National Railway Museum, Leeman Road, York, YO2 4XJ - telephone 01904-621261/686263.

The Museum organises “Please Touch” evenings, currently twice a year. If you would like to receive details please contact the Museum and ask to be put on their mailing list.

Howards Astronomy Club

This club, based in Havant, Hampshire, produces a monthly pamphlet for schools and club members which is now available in braille.

  • For details contact Howard Ilett, Howards Astronomy Club, 22 St Georges Avenue, Warblington, Havant, PO9 2RX- telephone 01705-482865.

Keeping fit in Hull

The Metropolitan Health and Fitness Club at Kingston Park, Hull is offering sessions for people with disabilities. Facilities include gymnasium, swimming pool, jacuzzi, sauna, steamroom, aerobic classes and club bar.

  • Contact: Sarah Kershaw or Ian Brown, Metropolitan Health and Fitness Club, Kingston Park, Kingston Upon Hull, HU 1 2TX - telephone 01482-321191.

Film first

For the first time ever, a film previewed at an international film festival was last month audio described live to selected members of the audience. “Lawn dogs”, a new production from Duncan Kenworthy (“Four weddings and a funeral”) and director John Duigan (“Sirens”, “Flirting”), opened the Birmingham International Film and Television Festival on November 19.

Denise Evans, RNIB Broadcasting Officer, said: "RNIB warmly welcomes the film festival's commitment to showing this audio described preview of “Lawn dogs”. By using this event, Birmingham has taken the lead in alerting both the sighted and visually impaired public to the benefits that audio description can bring."

Although films have been described for video and television, only a limited amount has been done to provide description in the cinema. RNIB has started to work with the cinema industry in addressing both how films can be described and how the description can be relayed to those members of the audience who wish to hear it. In an ideal world all films would automatically have a description written as part of the post-production process, and all cinemas would have the facilities to play the pre-recorded description at performances. RNIB hopes that more festivals will follow Birmingham's example and contribute to raising the awareness of audio description.

New audio described videos for Christmas

Anne Robson writes:

Two new audio described videos will be available from RNIB this month.

Audio description fills in the gaps in films by describing facial expressions, body language and actions, enabling visually impaired people to follow what is happening and enjoy films to the full.

Audio described videos will play on an ordinary video recorder, requiring no special equipment.

“Emma”

An adaptation of Jane Austen's timeless novel. Stars Gwyneth Paltrow as the unsuccessful matchmaker, who is so devoted to meddling in the affairs of others that she fails to recognise the longings of her own heart.

Set in the lush countryside of early 19th century England, this romantic comedy features a top supporting cast including Toni Collette, Alan Cumming, Ewan McGregor, Greta Scacchi and Juliet Stevenson.

Audio description by Peter Wickham and read by Patience Tomlinson.

  • Order number: AV047
    Price: £14.99
    Certificate U
Walt Disney's Classic “The Rescuers”

This animated feature follows the courageous exploits of two brave mice. Honouring their pledge to the Rescue Aid Society, Bernard and his glamorous partner Miss Bianca set out for the marshy swamps of Devil's Bayou.

Their mission is to rescue a missing orphan, Penny, from the evil clutches of Madame Medusa and her two pet crocodiles.

Audio description by Bill Roberts and read by Carolanne Lyme.

  • Order number: AV048
    Price £15.99
    Certificate U

Audio described videos are available for purchase from RNIB Customer Services and make ideal Christmas presents. Alternatively, videos can be rented for a two-week period for only £2.50 per title.

  • Contact RNIB Customer Services Department, PO Box 173, Peterborough PE2 6WS - telephone 0345-456457, quoting the order number.

RNIB's home video service has over thirty titles including classic animations, action-packed thrillers, comedies and drama.

  • For a full list contact: Mary Flaherty, Broadcasting Assistant, RNIB, 224 Great Portland Street, London W1N 6AA- telephone 0171-388 1266.

Content author: ann.lee@rnib.org.uk

Last updated: 08/04/2008 18:38

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