Who we are
At RSBC, we want every blind child and their family to have the skills and confidence to live their life without limits.
There are just under 37,000 blind and partially sighted children and young people in England and Wales. Every day, four more children will be diagnosed with vision impairment.
Blind and partially sighted children and young people frequently live wonderful and fulfilling lives. However, statistically they are at a disadvantage.
- Only 1 in 4 blind and partially sighted people of working age are in employment
- Two thirds of blind people are living on or below the poverty line
A lack of regular support for parents, fewer opportunities to learn vital life skills, and limited access to positive social experiences mean that blind and partially sighted children and young people can be at a serious disadvantage when it comes to their emotional well-being, social development and ultimately, employment and life prospects. However, it’s not all doom and gloom.
How we help blind and partially sighted children and young people
We aim to help every young person we work with to find and fulfil their own unique potential.
We are there for them from the point of diagnosis, guiding them and their families on their journey through sight loss.
We provide them with a combination of support, education, and development opportunities to help them build resilience and help with the skills they will need to navigate their own futures.
How we do it
We know that sight loss can affect a whole family. Through our Families First service, we work with parents or carers to help them to provide the best possible environment for their young person to grow and develop.
If they need more practical guidance, they can use some of our online tools, such as our benefits calculator, or the advice section at the bottom of our Get Our Help webpage.
We help blind and partially sighted children and young people to build friendships, develop their confidence, independence and social skills through our Live Life Go Further programme, which offers an range of regular activities including employability, assistive tech, sport and healthy living, music and creative, social meet-ups and events.
At our specialist Further Education college, Dorton College, our students are able to follow an individual programme of academic learning and skills development.