Carers Information Pack - Visual Impairment

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4SIGHT Provides a wide range of services for people with visual impairment, including clubs, contact officers to help prevent isolation, equipment purchase and loan service, listening and information service, Talking News, audio library service and large-print crossword and Sudoku puzzles. www.4sightsussex.co.uk 

ACTION FOR BLIND PEOPLE National charity for visually impaired people providing supported housing, holiday hotels, employment support, information and advice or welfare rights service.  Has a grants scheme to help with holidays and assistive technology. www.actionforblindpeople.org.uk

 ALTERNATIVE VISION Brighton-based self-help group for visually impaired adults from all over the country.  Provide group holidays in hotels and hostels, and summer camps for people with visual impairment. 

BLATCHINGTON COURT TRUST The Trust aims to promote the education, including social and physical training and the employment of visually impaired young people under the age of 30, mainly, but not exclusively, from Sussex.  Offers a range of services, including counselling, liaising with and representation at meetings with the Local Educational Authorities, voluntary and statutory organisations, funding educational support aids for the home, including IT equipment and sensory equipment with ongoing support and training, assistance with the provision of leisure and social skills, help with the transition process from school to college, attendance with parents at school, review meetings, awareness training, benefit entitlement advice and appeals support and information about local and national services and facilities. http://www.blatchingtoncourt.org.uk/

 BT Publishes a free guide to telephone products and services for elderly and disabled people, available in large print, Braille or on audio cassette.  A free Directory Enquiry Service is available for blind and disabled customers on 0800 5870195.  A large range of equipment is available for people with disabilities, including loud bell units and inductive couplers. http://www.bt.com/includingyou/

CLUBS FOR PEOPLE WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENT

• East Preston and Angmering - Social club for visually impaired people who live in East Preston and Angmering. Meets every other Tuesday afternoon at Bradbury Hotel, Station Road, East Preston. Have outings for tea and day trips. All members collected and returned to their homes. 

• Ferring - Group for visually impaired people of all ages, which meets at the Rifers Club, Greystoke Road, Ferring, fortnightly on Wednesdays at 2pm.  Accessible transport is available if needed.  The club can accommodate people with visual impairments who may also have other disabilities and the venue is wheelchair accessible. 

•  Findon - Social club for people with a visual impairment which meets and provides outings and entertainment.  Meets 2nd Thursday of each month, 10.30am-12noon at the Free Church, Lime Tree Avenue, Findon Valley. 

• Lancing - Coffee mornings held at Shadwells Court Community Hall, Lancing on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of every month between 10am and 12noon.  Transport can be arranged.  Building on ground level, with wide doors, wheelchair access and parking facilities available. 

• Lancing Self-Help Group for the Blind and Partially Sighted - Provides social and creative activities, and outings for visually impaired people.  Club meets on Thursdays 10am – 3pm. 

•  Littlehampton and District Visually Impaired Self Help Group - Social club for people who are registered blind or partially sighted.  All transport provided.  A meeting is held fortnightly at Woking Court, Rustington and on alternate weeks there is a trip out for a pub lunch.  Offers befriending, society, lunches and outings. 

• Littlehampton Social Club - Social club for people who are blind or partially sighted.  Meets at St James' Church Hall, East Ham Road, Littlehampton, 2nd and 4th Monday at 2pm.  Provides outings and has entertainment, bingo and singers. 

• Southwick - Coffee morning for people with visual impairment.  Meets at Marsh House, Park Lane, Southwick, on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month.  Marsh House is wheelchair accessible throughout. 

 DEAFBLIND UK Works with people who have a dual sensory loss in West Sussex and provides support, a visiting service, information about services and promotes awareness of deafblindness. www.deafblind.org.uk

 INTERNATIONAL GLAUCOMA ASSOCIATION The International Glaucoma Association (GLA) offers support and advice to glaucoma sufferers and their families. www.glaucoma-association.com

 LOOK SUSSEX Look Sussex is a local charity supporting families in East and West Sussex who have a child with a visual impairment. www.looksussex.co.uk

 LOOK UP WEBSITE Look Up is an information service about eye care and vision for people with learning disabilities. www.lookupinfo.org

 MACULAR DISEASE SOCIETY - WORTHING Support for people with Macular Degeneration in the Worthing area. This support comes via the National Macular Disease Society which provides information, a newsletter (print or tape) and an annual conference to all affiliated groups.  Support Group meets on the 1st Friday of the month 10.30am to 12 noon. www.maculardisease.org 

MOON LITERACY WEBSITE Moon allows people who are blind or partially sighted to read by touch.  It is particularly suitable for people who lose their sight later in life, or for people who may have a less keen sense of touch as the characters are fairly large and over half the letters bear a strong resemblance to the print equivalent. www.moonliteracy.org.uk

 OPTICIAN - EYES AT HOME Home visiting optician for the whole of West Sussex. Provides NHS and private consultation services. Free eye tests if entitled under NHS domiciliary services. Full frame and lens range with personal delivery and warranty.  Details of other home visiting opticians are available from ICIS 0800 859929. www.eyesathome.co.uk

PARTIALLY SIGHTED SOCIETY This organisation aims to help people with a visual impairment by providing information, advice and useful equipment. www.partsight.org.uk

 ROYAL LONDON SOCIETY FOR THE BLIND – ADULT SUPPORT SERVICES Helps visually impaired people gain employment, retain employment and progress their chosen careers.  Provides support tailored to the needs of disabled employees, including specialist equipment advice and loan, job coaching, visual impairment awareness training and help with Access to Work applications. www.rlsb.org.uk

 RNIB – ROYAL NATIONAL  INSTITUTE FOR THE BLIND Practical support, information and advice to people of all ages with a sight problem.   Includes Chip and Signature cards for those unable to use Chip and Pin, Talking Books and Welfare Rights Service.  Provides a one-to-one service for visually impaired people on vocational guidance, work preparation, retention of employment and work based assessments.  Carries out Access to Work Assessments.  Also runs the RNIB National Library Service, a comprehensive range of books and accessible information for adults and children with sight loss in a range of formats including Talking Books (unabridged audio on DAISY CD), braille, moon and giant print (24 pt type). www.rnib.org.uk

 ROUNDABOUT TALKING NEWSPAPER FOR THE BLIND Roundabout Talking Newspaper is a free weekly local news and magazine service for people with visual impairments in Horsham, Pulborough, Billingshurst, and Storrington areas. Includes items from West Sussex County Times and magazine items such as recipes, interviews, poems, quizzes, local interest visits, etc.  Tape machines for loan for this service.

 SENSE Offers advice, help and information; supports families through a national network and local branches; runs a holiday programme; education, residential, respite and day services; communicator guides and one-to-one intervenor support; training and consultancy. www.sense.org.uk 

SIGHT PROBLEM GROUP Meets on the 3^rd Tuesday of each month from 10am – 11am at Pulborough Village Hall.

 STORRINGTON BLIND CLUB Meets on the 2^nd Wednesday of each month from 2pm – 4pm at Trinity Methodist Church, Thakeham Road, Storrington.  Recreational activities, tea provided, talks, summer outings etc. Transport usually available, but cannot be promised.  Covers Pulborough, West Chiltington, Ashington, Storrington and Thakeham.  Affiliated to 4sight.  

 WEST SUSSEX COMMUNITY EQUIPMENT SERVICE A service provided by Nottingham Rehab Supplies National Care on behalf of West Sussex County Council and NHS West Sussex.  The service offers deliveries, collections, maintenance, repair and fitting of equipment by qualified staff. Does not accept requests directly from service users . Access by on-line referral through health or social service professionals.  Equipment provided includes equipment for people with sensory impairments (e.g. blind, partially sighted, deaf, deafened or hard of hearing). 

WEST SUSSEX COUNTY COUNCIL (SENSORY SERVICES TEAM) Central office for provision of services for adults with sensory impairments in West Sussex. Telephone for general enquiries about the services, or issues relating to hearing, visual impairment, or dual sensory loss.

WORTHING SOCIETY  FOR THE BLINDAims to help, advise and improve the quality of life for people with significant sight loss within the Borough of Worthing.  Is the contact for the Active Vision Group for younger visually impaired people, and for Talking Book, Voice of Progress and West Sussex County Council.  Also provides handicrafts, socials, outings, holidays, advice and a sympathetic ear. Transport to and from classes can be arranged.  Home visiting service offers support and friendship to people with a visual impairment who live alone. Home visitors can also give practical assistance, eg obtaining information on benefits or accessing local services.  Has a resource room for information, advice and purchase of visual aid equipment and a colour Aladdin Video Magnifier available for use by anyone.  Can supply, on loan, a wide range of equipment.  Areas covered: Worthing only. www.wsftb.org.uk

This page was last updated 20/04/2012