Sight Loss Organisations
There are many sight loss organisations all over the world that offer support for those with a visual impairment no matter what type of eye condition you have or needs you require, there will be organisations and charities that will help you, offering advice, mobility training, daily living skills, mobility aids, assistive technology, counselling and family support. Here are some of the sight loss organisations I have worked with.
Retina UK - the leading UK charity dedicated solely to working for people affected by inherited retinal conditions.
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For more information on Retina UK please visit www.RetinaUK.org.uk
or contact them on 01280 821334 or info@RetinaUK.org.uk
Fighting Blindness is an Irish patient-led charity with a vision to cure, support and empower. They fund world-leading research into treatments and cures for blindness, while caring for people and families through counselling and peer to peer support services. Through education and advocacy they work tirelessly to empower the 246,773 people in Ireland living with sight loss. Thanks to the support of the community and corporates they have invested over €17 million in over 90 research projects since inception in 1983.
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For more information on the work of Fighting Blindness please visit www.FightingBlindness.ie
or contact the team directly on +353 (01) 6789 004 or info@fightingblindness.ie.
Guide Dogs For The Blind helps blind and partially sighted people across the UK through the provision of guide dogs, mobility and other rehabilitation services. They also campaign for the rights of those with visual impairments and invest in eye disease research
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For more information on Guide Dogs For The Blind please visit www.guidedogs.org.uk
or contact them on 0118 983 5555 or guidedogs@guidedogs.org.uk
The European Guide Dog Federation is a European-wide organisation of bodies representing guide dog users and guide dog service providers.
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It has been an official Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) since 2007. Currently there are 47 members and in 23 European countries. The European Guide Dog Federation is dedicated to influencing laws, policies and attitudes and to ensuring excellent facilities and access for guide dog users.
For more information on the European Guide Dog Federation please visit www.egdfed.org
or contact them on +44 (0)1327 720027 or members@EGDFed.org
British Blind Sport are a Voluntary or Community Sector organisation. The work of the charity enables blind and partially sighted people to have the same opportunities as sighted people to access and enjoy sport and recreational activities in the UK.
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For more information on British Blind Sport please visit www.britishblindsport.org.uk
or contact them on 01926 424247 or info@britishblindsport.org.uk​
Surfing England Adaptive programme and Surf Team
In 2017, the NGB of Surfing in England started to develop a programme for Adaptive (disability) surfing, based on the recent world wide increase in development and needs of it's community.
The first event was the 2017 English National Adaptive champs, open to entries from UK and abroad in a variety of divisions, with a secondary purpose of selecting a national squad for international competition. The selected squad went to the ISA World Games in La Jolla, California in the December and secured England's 1st Silver medal in international surfing competition (Charlotte Banfield, women's AS-1 Standing).
2018 saw an increase in numbers from home and abroad at the Nationals and the England Team came 7th at the World Championships in La Jolla, gaining 3 medals, including the first Gold in the Women's VI division.
2019 Looks to be even more exciting, with 4 European Events (Euro's in Portugal, England, Wales and Spain) this summer and a greater interest from surfers to compete for England internationally.
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For further information on Surfing England please visit www.surfingengland.org
or contact them on info@surfingengland.org
or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1565384846903471/
Millions of people all over the world are living with severe vision loss, a significant proportion of which is due to Retinal Dystrophies or Retinal Degenerations as they are also known. For individuals and families who have been diagnosed with a retinal dystrophy, be it rare, genetic and inherited, or age-related, access to relevant, detailed and clearly understandable information is essential.
Retina International is a global umbrella of 33 patient-led charities and voluntary groups funding & supporting research into rare and genetically inherited as well as age-related forms retinal dystrophies.
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For further information on Retina International please visit www.retina-international.org
or contact them on +41 (0) 44 444 10 77 or info@retina-international.org