Tag: RNIB Scotland

Edinburgh group will support and encourage performers with sight loss

A unique group to help blind and partially sighted people find work in the performing arts has been launched in Edinburgh.

Visually Impaired Creators Scotland (VICS) will inspire established and aspiring artists with sight loss through sharing ideas, collaborative performances, workshops and supportive monthly meetings.

It’s founder Kirin Saeed, a trained professional actor who lives in Leith, was partially sighted until the age of eleven when she then lost most of her remaining vision. “I can just about make out a bit of light and dark now,” she says.

Kirin, herself, was inspired by Extant, a theatre company for people with sight loss that she worked with for six years in London.

“I don’t think there are really any major barriers to actors and performers with a visual impairment apart from the ones that other people create,” she says. “I don’t think memorising a script is a barrier. I don’t think getting around the stage is a barrier. The biggest one is just getting opportunities to perform, trying to infiltrate the industry.

“But how do you communicate the message to theatrical agents, the musical companies? How do you push the message out that people with a vision impairment can still have talent? That’s what our group wants to try and open up. To create a network where we can support each other and promote the work we do when we can get it.”

VICS will run a series of exciting and fun taster-workshops in February open to all visually impaired people aged 18 and over to improve performance-skills and develop new ones.

The workshops will take place at Crannie Community Centre, 9 Cranston Street, Edinburgh on February 18th and 25th and Match 11th from 11am to 3pm. Transport expenses and lunch will be provided.

“Places are limited so first come, first serve,” emphasises Kirin. “You are the performers of the future and we would be delighted to meet you! Come along to try out exercises that explore sound, movement, music and your own experiences in a safe and warm environment.”

For further information, email information.vics@gmail.com or visit https://www.visuallyimpairedcreatorsscotland.co.uk/contact-us.

You can also call VICS on 07770614747 and they’ll call you back to chat.

And before then you can enjoy a ‘Cabaret In The Dark’ by VICS, with songs, comedy and activities, all in complete darkness!  The one-hour entertainment is taking place on Friday, February 10th, at 4 Duncan Place, Edinburgh EH6 8HW. 

Tickets can be booked here – https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cabaret-in-the-dark-tickets-50440892968

St Andrew’s Day open day at sight loss charity’s Edinburgh headquarters

National sight loss charity RNIB Scotland is celebrating St Andrew’s Day on Wednesday [November 30th] by holding an open day at its Edinburgh headquarters.

Visitors will have a chance to meet staff and learn more about the services, aids and equipment it offers to blind and partially sighted people.

As well as campaigning on issues affecting those with sight loss, the charity can help people maximise their independence with new technology such as accessible software for phones and computers, audio-books and talking clocks.

It also operates a community café open to the public for hot drinks and snacks, and runs various leisure and social groups.

The RNIB Scotland headquarters is located at 12-14 Hillside Crescent, Edinburgh, just off London Road.

If you or someone you know with sight loss would like to come along on St Andrew’s Day, please contact Daniel Meikle on 07821 810 955 or email:  

daniel.meikle@rnib.org.uk.

Blind and partially sighted children visit Edinburgh Zoo

Twelve children with sight loss and their families had the chance to visit Edinburgh Zoo thanks to the charity RNIB.

Among those attending was 15 year-old Hannah Evans from Linlithgow who has is partially sighted with bilateral congenital cataracts and a learning disability. 

Hannah’s mum Carol said: ” Hannah loved the visit to the zoo as it combined art, food, meeting new people and seeing animals. We all had a great time. I think that was the most she has ever enjoyed the zoo, and it was great to network with other visually impaired children and their families. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming.”

Hannah has also had an art exhibition in Ocean Terminal in September. “She sees colours and focus differently due to her eye conditions as such, has her own unique styles of art and excellent colour expression,” said her mother. 

Katrina Thomson, support officer for the charity, said: “RNIB’s Shape and Share events bring children, young people and their families from across the UK together to share experiences and take part in fun activities, both in person and virtually via Microsoft Teams.

“Last weekend, it was Scotland’s turn to host an event and we had a wonderful time at Edinburgh Zoo, home to over 2,500 amazing and endangered animals. The Zoo offers large-print maps and some enclosures have QR codes which describe the animals in them.”

Edinburgh cafe offers warm space to people with sight loss

A cafe run by national sight loss charity RNIB Scotland at its Edinburgh base in Hillside Crescent is extending its opening hours to offer a warm space to blind and partially sighted people during weekdays, from 10am to 4pm.

Jane Coates, the charity’s community connection manager, said: “We’re very conscious that many people with sight loss might be particularly hard hit by the cost of living crisis. So we want to do our bit to offer a safe, accessible and friendly environment where they can socialise.”

Other members of the public are also welcome to drop in to purchase hot drinks and snacks between 10.30am and 3.30pm.

At present, however, payment can only be made by card or phone.

Paws in the Park at Inverleith

RNIB Scotland’s Paws In The Park group is a social group for visually impaired people and their guide dogs.

They meet fortnightly at Inverleith Park to let the dogs have some off-duty fun!

The group is open to other guide dog owners who wish to join.

The group meets fortnightly on Wednesdays, promptly at 11am until 1pm at the corner of Raeburn Place and Portgower Place (opposite the Raeburn Hotel) to walk to Inverleith Park. The meeting will be 2nd November.

Anyone wishing to join should contact RNIB’s Dan Meikle to arrange this:

Email daniel.meikle@rnib.org.uk.

Free football session for youngsters with sight loss in Lothian

Are you aged between eight to 14, have a visual impairment and would like to play football?

Then come along to a free, one-hour introductory session on Sunday, October 16th, from 9 to 10am at the Oriam Sports Centre on Heriot Watt University’s campus in Riccarton, west Edinburgh.

This taster session is aimed at partially sighted young people. No previous football experience is necessary and the session will be tailored to include all footballing abilities.

It has been organised by national sight loss charity RNIB Scotland, Bathgate Thistle Community Football Club and the Scottish Football Association.

Neil Atkinson (24) from Livingston, who was diagnosed with the condition Stargardt’s macula dystrophy at the age of eight, is the coach.

“This session will be pitched towards players with some level of sight,” he says. “We have regular footballs as well as bell-balls. And it’s an indoor court with a hard surface so that the ball can be located more easily by sound.

“The hour-long session will consist of a short warm-up then some focused training, working on fundamental skills; bulwark, passing, movement, finishing and some game situations. We will try to meet the individual level of each player. The session will be focused on fun, and on developing the players’ skills and confidence.

“For the last portion of the session, we’ll have an open game, allowing players to use some of the skills they’ve learned in the previous exercises. Players are free to make it competitive, but ultimately the focus is on enjoyment.

“Family members and friends are also welcome to come along and participate and support a partially sighted individual. It’s only an hour long session but I will be there after the session for any questions and to help with advice for any participant. If there are players and parents who aren’t sure if the session would be appropriate, I’d be more than happy to talk to them to find out if it is accessible “

There will also be a small number of follow-up sessions in the weeks following for anyone who cannot make the 16th October.

For further information, contact Neil Atkinson on 07858 687 528, email neil.atkinson@rnib.org.uk, or book a place:

www.scottishfa.co.uk/participation/para-football

Volunteers Week: “I volunteer to make a difference” – Richard, RNIB Scotland

To mark Volunteers Week this week [June 1-7], Richard Asher from Leith has spoken about being a volunteer for sight loss charity RNIB Scotland.

Richard (29) is part of the Edinburgh-based charity’s Technology for Life team, advising blind and partially sighted people on the accessibility features now built-in to new technology that can help maximise their independence.

Such features include software that reads text as speech, enlarges the size of fonts, and adjusts background colour contrast.

“In my volunteering role, I help customers with technical devices like iPads or mobiles,” explains Richard, who studied IT at Edinburgh College. “They bring these into RNIB Scotland and can either have issues with them and need something looked into, such as their settings, or I can teach them how to first use their devices.

“I volunteer because I want to make a difference in people’s lives. It is vital to make that difference, just seeing someone happy at the end of it and seeing that they are confidently using their devices. A person can get the most out of their time with me in learning. Or, if they come up with a problem, that problem is sorted for them.

“Some people have been born without sight, and they might have an older device or might not have had a device before. I train them with the accessibility features and how they can use the phone.

“Other people may have lost their sight in later life, having known how to use a phone. And now they’re saying, ‘Oh my goodness, what will I do? I depend on this phone; I use this every day.’ So, we focus on training them to use their phone differently.

“I’m a firm believer that anyone can use a phone. It’s just about finding the right way. There is sight loss in my own family, so this volunteer role is important to me, and that’s what we focus on here – making them independent in using these devices.

“The important thing for me is someone’s walking out, feeling they have gained from it, and they’re happy.”

Players of the People’s Postcode Lottery support the running of the RNIB Connect groups, which provide a supportive online space where people with sight loss can use technology to connect and share experiences.

* www.rnib.org.uk/scotland

Letters: Councils have vital role

Dear Editor

With the elections for Scotland’s local authorities happening on May 5th, it is important to emphasise the vital role councils play in helping blind and partally sighted people to live as independently and inclusively as possible.

People with a visual impairment are more likely to depend on services  from their local council, for information that’s readily available in alternative formats, public transport that’s accessible, streets and thoroughfares that allow people to walk safely and without obstacles, education that allows every child to reach their full potential, and employment that’s informed by a better understanding of what those with sight loss can do.

Around 178,000 people are currently living with a significant degree of sight loss in Scotland, of whom over 4,000 are children and young  people. Our ageing population and the increase in sight-theatening conditions such as diabetes means this number will, inevitably, grow.

Let’s make one positive legacy of the upheaval we’ve all been through a resolve to make sure we re-emerge as a society in which no one is left at the margins.

Our local authorities are absolutely key to this.

James Adams

Director, Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) Scotland

12-14 Hillside Crescent, Edinburgh

Serious Concerns: Disability campaigners urge councillors to reconsider making Spaces for People changes permanent

Disability campaigning groups have written to the city council’s Transport and Environment Committee to express concerns over controversial proposals to make changes to the capital’s streets permanent.

The Committee meets today to consider the findings of its recent ‘Retaining Spaces for People’ consultation, a review of how the Council has implemented the Scottish Government’s push during lockdown to reduce the number of cars and vehicles by creating more cycle-lanes and pedestrianised areas.

But the campaigners’ letter warns that measures put in place too hastily and without adequate consultation could inadvertently make going outdoors more hazardous for wheelchair users and pedestrians with other disabilities.

The letter, jointly signed by members of Edinburgh Access Panel and the sight loss charities RNIB Scotland and Guide Dogs Scotland, says: “We want to reiterate our concerns about the implications of making temporary Spaces for People measures permanent.

“Any decisions taken will have serious and long-term implications for the citizens of Edinburgh in terms of how they access their city and its amenities.”

An online petition to ‘Stop Edinburgh council making dangerous road changes, cycle lanes & parking cuts permanent’ has attracted more than 16,800 signatures.

Guide-dog owner Ian Drysdale of Corstorphine said “The changes have taken away my independence and mobility. Before the Spaces for People changes, I had no problem getting out and about. But now the areas I feel safe in are getting smaller and smaller.”

Catriona Burness of RNIB Scotland said: “We are concerned that momentous decisions about changing the way we walk, wheel and cycle are being made before any of us know what the future, post-Covid, Edinburgh will look like.”

The safety of pedestrians, particularly those who are more vulnerable, must be the deciding factor when determining changes, the letter emphasises. “The current wave of temporary measures show a greater regard for the interests of cyclists than those of pedestrians,” says Anne-Marie Barry of Guide Dogs Scotland.

The campaigners are concerned that some of the measures introduced have made things more challenging and potentially dangerous for blind and partially sighted people and wheelchair users. For example, poorly designed ‘pop-up ‘cycle lanes which incorporate ‘floating’ bus-stops do not take account of disabled people getting on and off buses.

RNIB Scotland and Guide Dogs Scotland are urging the Transport and Environment Committee to postpone making any decisions this week and to support having an independent, third-party national review of the Spaces for People initiative.

You can watch the Transport and Environment Committee live via webcast, from 10am this morning.

Your sight could be lost if you don’t attend eye-screenings, charity warns diabetics

As the covid crisis hopefully eases, concerns are being focused on the impact of lockdown on other health conditions. With health centres forced to postpone routine screenings last year, there are fears some conditions may have worsened in the absence of early diagnosis and treatment.

During Diabetes Week this week [June 14-20th], the national sight loss charity RNIB Scotland is emphasising it is more important than ever that people with diabetes attend their regular check-up appointments, now that these have resumed.

RNIB director James Adams said: “Diabetic retinopathy, a complication of diabetes, can affect the small blood vessels at the back of the eye and is a major cause of sight loss among working-age adults. But damage to vision can be arrested if detected early enough.

“While it’s possible that diabetes won’t cause any changes to your sight, the most effective thing you can do to prevent this is to go to your retinal screening appointments and eye examinations, where safety measures are in place.”

The message is also being emphasised by NHS Scotland. Dr Mike Gavin, clinical lead for the national Scottish Diabetic Eye Screening Programme said: “We are working hard to see patients for screening, after the service was temporarily paused during the first lockdown in 2020. Patients should always attend screening whenever they are invited to prevent avoidable loss of sight.”

Each year, 5,500 patients with diabetes in Scotland need to undergo further imaging or see an NHS eye specialist for the first time due to worsening in their retinopathy.

There are 3.5 million people in the UK who have been diagnosed diabetes, and an estimated 500,000 people living with undiagnosed diabetes. Within 20 years of diagnosis, nearly all people with type 1 diabetes and almost two-thirds of people with type 2 diabetes will have developed some form of diabetic retinopathy. People with diabetes are also at increased risk of glaucoma and cataracts.

People from a South Asian or African-Caribbean background are two to four times more likely to get type 2 diabetes. They tend to develop it at a younger age which means they live with the condition for longer.

The risk of complications increases with the length of time people have the condition. It is not known why this is the case, but it is likely to be a mixture of genetics, lifestyle, and environmental factors.

RNIB Scotland is on the steering committee of a five-year study that is following 1,100 retinopathy patients from across Scotland.

The LENS (Lowering Events in Non-proliferative retinopathy in Scotland) trial is testing whether a cholesterol-lowering medicine, fenofibrate, can slow the progression of retinopathy.

LENS is being co-ordinated by the Universities of Oxford and Glasgow in partnership with Aberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh, and with NHS Scotland’s Retinal Screening Service. More information about the trial is available at: www.ctsu.ox.ac.uk/lens.

* If you’re worried about your vision, contact RNIB’s Sight Loss Advice Service on 0303 123 9999 or visit www.rnib.org.uk/eyehealth. 

For more information on the NHS Scotland eye-screening service, visit  https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/diabetes/diabetic-retinopathy.