What blind and partially sighted people need from the new Prime Minister

RNIB’s Director of Policy, Campaigns and Social Action, Eleanor Thompson, said:

“As the new UK Government takes shape, we’ll be closely scrutinising its delivery against what matters most for blind and partially sighted people. The new Prime Minister’s intention to shift more power away from Westminster and into local communities matters to us, because many of the barriers faced by blind and partially sighted people are shaped locally - from streets and public spaces to health and accessing adult social care. This creates an important opportunity to make sure accessibility is built into local policy and decision-making from the start, and backed up by robust national policy."

The Prime Minister has signalled that his Government will once again look at reforming the welfare system, while pledging to avoid the kind of "crude cuts" that can undermine disabled people's independence and financial security. A drive to get more young people into work will continue in tandem.

For many blind and partially sighted people, benefits such as Personal Independence Payment (PIP) are vital lifelines, helping to meet the extra costs associated with sight loss and enable independent living.

This month saw the publication of the interim report from the Timms Review into PIP, led by Disability and Social Security Minister Sir Stephen Timms MP. The report confirmed what blind and partially sighted people have been telling us for years: that the current assessment process is often stressful, frustrating and not fit for purpose.

We're now working to influence the next phase of the Review ahead of its final proposals in the autumn. We’ll also be looking closely at the recommendations due to be published as part of the Milburn review into young people’s employment.

We support the ambition to enable more disabled people of working age to enter or stay in employment. But this does mean making the Access to Work scheme function far better. Right now, blind and partially sighted people are facing unprecedented delays, uncertainty and reductions to essential support like support workers, even when circumstances have not changed. We’re using examples of when things have gone wrong to discuss practical changes that the Department for Work and Pensions needs to implement.

Confidence in the scheme must be restored to ensure disabled people can access the support they need to start, stay and progress in work.

Make a secret vote a reality

At the 2024 UK General Election, only a quarter of blind people (26 per cent) felt that the current system allows them to vote independently and in secret.

The UK Government has an immediate opportunity to address this longstanding inequality through some legislation that’s midway through the process of becoming law. The Representation of the People Bill which will return to Parliament in September.

RNIB is working closely with Julie Minns MP to introduce an amendment to this Bill, backed with cross-party support, that would establish minimum accessibility standards for polling stations by requiring tactile and audio voting solutions to be available.

The Prime Minister has long spoken about restoring trust in politics and strengthening democratic engagement. That ambition must include ensuring blind and partially sighted voters can exercise their democratic rights on an equal basis with others.

Ensure people can access vision rehabilitation when they need it

Vision rehabilitation services play a vital role in helping blind and partially sighted people live independently and stay connected. However, RNIB research revealed ongoing delays and staffing gaps in services across England are putting lives on pause. That’s why over 48,000 people signed our petition to the Health Secretary calling on these services to be consistently delivered and recognised as an essential part of adult social care.

With the UK Government’s continued strong focus on supporting people to stay in work, the Department for Health and Social Care acknowledges the importance of independence, dignity, and access to timely support for people experiencing sight loss but has not yet committed to taking RNIB’s recommendations forward.

The Prime Minister must seek to resolve this impasse. During his recent by-election campaign, he declared that fixing social care will be one of his key priorities. We’ll continue to push for urgent action to end the postcode lottery of support for people with sight loss.

Make our healthcare information accessible

This August marks 10 years since the introduction of the NHS Accessible Information Standard in England. The Standard should mean blind and partially sighted people receive their health and care information in their required formats.

However, many people still receive vital information about appointments, test results, medication and much more in formats they cannot read or access because of the ongoing failures with implementing the Standard.

As a new Health Secretary picks up the mantle of reforming the NHS in England and increasing the digitalisation of its services, the NHS Accessible Information Standard must be made mandatory and fully implemented.

Improve our streets and transport

Being able to travel safely and confidently is essential for work, education, healthcare and everyday life. Yet, more than half of people with sight loss tell RNIB they want to go out more than they currently do.

The Bus Services Act 2025 gives local and regional authorities greater influence over bus services. Drawing on his experience of Greater Manchester's Bee Network, the Prime Minister has an opportunity to show how transport reform can improve accessibility for disabled people.

Likewise, the Railways Bill currently going through Parliament has the potential to address longstanding issues that have led more than a third of blind and partially sighted people to tell us that they aren’t able to make all the train journeys they want or need to.

With new technologies also on the horizon, from self-driving vehicles to delivery robots, the Transport Secretary must grapple with the potential opportunities and challenges these present for blind and partially sighted people to ensure innovation improves accessibility rather than creating new barriers.

Accessible pedestrian journeys are a cornerstone of any transport system, yet our streets pose barriers that prevent many from making walking journeys. Later this year we’ll be bringing together our latest insight for further campaigning on this essential topic.

Help us create change

The Prime Minister has made clear that he wants power to sit closer to communities.

We're growing our network of Community Change Supporters - people across the country who want to take simple actions to improve accessibility, influence decision-makers and challenge the barriers faced by people with sight loss. Find out more and become a Community Change Supporter.