Looking Ahead

As a parent, even when your child is a toddler, you can’t help but think ahead.

• Which school will they go to?
• Will they go to college or university?
• What job or career will they have?
  

This is no different for a child who is blind or partially sighted.

Schooling

The majority of children and young people with sight loss are educated within their home education authority. This could be your local school or one that may have a resource base catering for children with visual difficulties. Children with additional complex needs are most likely to be offered a place in their local authority at a school that is able to cater for their range of needs.

Any decisions will be made with the involvement of the parents at each stage and plans will be made to ensure resources and support are put in place to enable your child to access the curriculum and broader school activities.

Many children will access reading matter by using magnification or by having it set in a larger font. Only a small percentage of children will need to learn Braille in order to read and write.

The school or setting will need to follow the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice which ensures that your child’s needs are recognized and addressed. The key contacts to support you through the process (including early years) are the local authority sensory (VI) service.

College and university

There is no reason why your child will not achieve good educational outcomes allowing them to go forward, if they wish, to vocational training, further or higher education.

There are very few subject areas that are not available to a young person who is blind or partially sighted. If the young person is registered as sight impaired they will not be able to drive or there may be limits on courses that rely on using vision.

There are also a number of colleges that specifically cater for young people with sight difficulties and/or additional needs.

The Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) is a grant that can help meet the extra course costs students can face as a direct result of their sight loss and/or other disabilities. The DSA will enable a young person to study and have access to course materials on an equal basis to other students, and is paid on top of the standard student finance package. Your future, your choice: bridging the gap

Employment There are many blind or partially sighted people in a wide range of jobs. In the distant past the choices were few but today, particularly with the increased use of computers (for which there are magnification, speech and Braille options available), there is a wide choice of careers. Blind people are just as likely to be bankers, sous chefs, concert coordinators, systems analysts, and even government ministers.

No one is saying it is easy – we know that young people with a disability often have to work harder to achieve success. However there is help and support available. Under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) it is illegal for employers to discriminate against workers on the basis of their disability. Access to Work is a Government scheme that provides practical and financial support and covers adaptations, special aids, equipment, support workers and travel to and from work.

‘My role is the same as my work colleagues. I’m set the same targets as my colleagues and I have to attain the same results. With the support that’s in place I am able to do that very successfully.’

Mike, business manager

Rosie’s story

I jumped at the chance to volunteer for Actionnaires because I attended the club as a member and enjoyed it so much that I was ecstatic when I was asked to be part of such a great club, full of amazing people. Actionnaires provides an excellent opportunity for children who vary in all degrees of sight impairment, from borderline visually impaired to totally blind. It has helped me personally in so many different ways, boosting my confidence and social interactive skills and encouraging me to try new sports which I would never have been able to do in a mainstream environment. Meeting new people and learning how to increase my interaction and communication skills have helped me outside the club, in college and job interviews. I now know that the reason I enjoy volunteering at Sunderland Actionnaires is because I want to help young people with sight problems come out of their shell, and feel more confident socializing and playing sports around and with other youngsters.

David’s story

I think John (Transition coordinator, Action for Blind People) had probably started to get the measure of me. He must have known that despite my outward acquiescence, I was still not fully self-assured. Whenever John called I would gain a surge of positivity about myself and my abilities, but this would soon wane once our call had ended. This was why John’s persistence really paid off. Thanks to his frequent calls, I started to feel confident about applying for a job. Iwrote my application, sent a draft to John who made a few suggestions, and then sent it off. John asked me to let him know the outcome as soon as I knew it. A couple of weeks later, I was informed that I had an interview. I was of course pleased but was still reticent. Again, John’s persistent and unyielding faith in my ability was instrumental in maintaining my confidence. He also offered practical support and we arranged a mock interview. We went through various interview questions and John made lots of good suggestions. I was really starting to feel confident about the interview. John called a couple of times before my interview date with a couple of extra tips and to make sure I was still feeling confident and ready for the experience. The tips John offered at the mock interview were invaluable. I was really confident during the interview and was prepared for many of the questions that were asked. I left the interview feeling happy that I had delivered my best. A couple of days later, I was notified that I had been an excellent candidate and that they were offering me the job. Once I had accepted their offer, I rang John to share the good news. He was delighted. He has continued to offer me support since starting my new job. He has visited me in my workplace to make sure everything is running smoothly and he offered support with the Access to Work bid. John’s work was instrumental in getting me to this point. He made the transition from education to work a much less daunting and painful process by motivating me and removing my focus away from my limitations and towards my strengths and aptitudes.