RNIB annual review 2010/11
Focus on our work
Contents
- Introduction
- Stopping people losing their sight unnecessarily
- Supporting independent living
- Creating an inclusive society
- Thank you
- A brief look at our finances
Introduction
There is no doubt that this has been a verytough year across the charity sector. Thismakes us even more proud of some of ouramazing achievements during the year, butalong the way we have had to make somehard decisions. These decisions have beenmade with our overall vision and the needsof blind and partially sighted people at theforefront of our mind. Through the servicesand campaigning of RNIB, the local servicesof Action for Blind People and Cardiff, Valesand Valleys and the specialist services ofNational Talking Newspapers andMagazines, we remain totally committed todelivering our group strategy: stopping somany people losing their sightunnecessarily; making sure the needs ofpeople are better met at the point ofdiagnosis; supporting people who have losttheir sight to lead full and independentlives; improving the support available topeople with sight loss and complex needs;and influencing service providers, industriesand government to make the world a betterplace for people with sight problems.
Although it has been a challenging year andwe are preparing ourselves for an even morechallenging time ahead, we have stillmanaged some remarkable successes. Thedevelopment of our school in Coventry hasmade great strides and is due to be fullyoperational by the autumn of 2011. Thestate-of-the-art school and children’s homeoffers education, care and therapy tochildren with sight problems and complexneeds. This year the school was renamedRNIB Pears Centre for Specialist Learning inrecognition of the fantastic support we havereceived from the Pears Foundation.
It is now more important than ever that wecontinue to provide the services that are sovital to the lives of so many people, such asour information and membership serviceswhich dealt with almost half a millionenquiries this year, giving people with sightproblems the support and advice they need.We sent out over 1.7 million talking booksenabling blind and partially sighted peopleto carry on reading after losing their sight.
We also continued to develop new andinnovative solutions to improve peoples’lives, such as our work with Goodmans todevelop the first talking set top box whichwill enable people with sight problems tomore easily reap the benefits of digitaltelevision. The “Smart Talk” set top box isnow available and in February 2011 won aWhich? “Best Buy” award.
11 April 2011 was a landmark day for blindpeople. It was the culmination of more thanfour years of some of our most successfulcampaigning, which led to people with asevere visual impairment becoming eligiblefor the higher rate mobility component ofthe disability living allowance (DLA). Thismeant that around 23,000 people wouldnow be eligible for more than £30 a weekextra to help them cope with the additionalcosts of living with sight loss.
But unfortunately now is not the time to sitback and celebrate our success. The WelfareReform Bill currently going throughParliament and the cuts to local authorityservices will, if they remain unamended,have a devastating impact on the lives ofmany blind and partially sighted people.
A reduction in out-of-work support willmake it harder for people to findemployment, and restrictions in access tosight saving treatments could mean peoplelosing their sight unnecessarily. As we setout on 2011/12 we are absolutelydetermined to do all we can to influence achange of direction and minimise the impactthese reforms could potentially have.The large reductions in local authorityspending budgets will also have a negativeimpact on the services we are able toprovide.
This year we celebrated the75th year of our Talking Book Service.This vital service enables people to carry onreading when they have lost their sight.Many of the 38,000 subscribers have theirsubscriptions to the service subsidised bytheir local authority. But this by no meanscovers the full cost to us of providing theservice, and without this we will find itdifficult to continue providing the service toblind and partially sighted people in the waywe are currently able to. Frighteningly weare already seeing signs of local authoritieswithdrawing this support.
We are tremendously proud of the fact thatour fundraising income has held up well thisyear and because of downward trends inlocal authority spending, it is going tobecome more and more important in theyears to come.
At the end of the year we went live with aninternet film campaign called “I’d miss”which told the story of Alexia and how shewould miss out on the joys of reading if itwere not for us. The film has been a hugesuccess and has really brought home thepotential realities of living with sight lossand the difference RNIB can make, to the100,000 people who have already seen it.
We would like to end by saying thank you.None of our campaigning successes or thevital services we run would be possiblewithout the fantastic contributionof our volunteers, donorsand staff. Thank you foryour vital support – itreally does make a hugeand lasting difference tothe lives of blind andpartially sighted people.
Kevin Carey, Chair
Lesley-Anne Alexander, Chief Executive
Stopping people losing their sight unnecessarily
It’s a shocking fact that around 50 per cent of thepeople with a sight problem in the UK have an eyecondition that could have been avoided throughearly detection or the correct treatment. This is whywe work so hard to bring an end to people losingtheir sight unnecessarily.
Many sight threatening eye conditions canbe avoided simply by having a regular eyetest. If an eye condition is detected earlyenough, it is more likely it will be possible totreat it successfully.
We want to improve the eye health of thenation by helping people to understand howto look after their eyes. This year we playeda leading role in National Eye Health Weekin June. During the week over 30organisations from the optical and charitysector brought home the message tomillions of people that a regular eye test cansave your sight. And in Wales, RNIB Cymru,working with BBC Wales, aired an advert onprime time television stressing theimportance of a regular eye test.
Our commitment to support and lead theUK Vision Strategy in delivering its aims toend avoidable sight loss by 2020 remainsstrong. This year the second annual UKVision Strategy conference, Vision UK 2010,brought together people from the visionsector with key decision makers fromGovernment and the National HealthService. The conference saw the launch ofthe UK Vision Strategy patients charter –setting out the level of service peopleshould expect from their healthcareprovider.
After the general election in May 2010 weheld a reception to meet new MPs as wellas those that had been re-elected. Weintroduced them to the challenges of livingwith sight loss by asking them to completeeveryday tasks such as making a cup of teaor using a cash machine while blindfolded.
We followed up on the reception by sendingall MPs a pack explaining how they canmeet the needs of their blind and partiallysighted constituents regarding access toinformation, access to their constituencyoffice and making their websites accessible.
RNIB’s Future Vision pod visits colleges anduniversities to make sure young peopleunderstand the importance of looking afterthe health of their eyes, including aparticular emphasis on smoking and thedamage this can do to your sight. This year4,000 young people across the UK visitedthe pod and were told the impact theircurrent lifestyle could have on theirfuture sight.
Also in the community we launched “Eyesright” this year. This sight screening toolenables communities to take the first step inmanaging their own eye health and will helppotentially sight threatening eye conditionsto be identified at a stage when they can besuccessfully treated.
Once an eye condition has been identified,in most cases it is important that it istreated as quickly as possible. This yearRNIB Scotland and partners secured a£6.6million investment from the ScottishGovernment in a new system which willreduce beyond recognition the time it takesto be referred from your high streetoptometrist to your specialist eye doctor.
The system sends a digital image of the eyedirectly from the optometrist to theophthalmologist, cutting out patient referraland waiting time.
It is hard to imaginehow frustrating it would feel to bediagnosed with an eye condition, and toknow something could be done to save yoursight, but that this treatment was notavailable to you. We have supported anumber of people across the UK tochallenge their health service and receive the treatment that is best for them. We also challenged a number of Primary Care Trusts(PCTs) in England who have introduced achoice between a licensed treatment(Lucentis) and its unlicensed and cheaperalternative (Avastin) for patients with age-relatedmacular degeneration.
This year we also helped an awful lot ofpeople find out more about the eyecondition they had been diagnosed with.We distributed over 190,000 leaflets on themost common causes of sight loss, and thepages on our website which containinformation on a wide range of eyeconditions were viewed over three quartersof a million times during the year. Thisinformation is often all people have to helpthem understand their eye condition andtheir future.
When people want to know more they cancontact our eye health information servicedirectly. This year we gave one-to-onesupport and advice to over 3,250 people,helping them to better understand their eyecondition.
Anne’s story
When Anne Swann was diagnosedwith a torn macula she was toldthat she needed an operation. ButAnne had so many questions andfelt so nervous that the surgeonsdidn’t want to operate. Fortunatelyshe contacted RNIB and our eyehealth team were able to give timeto Anne to explain the importanceof the operation and the potentialoutcomes of it.
Anne said, “RNIB’s Eye HealthInformation Service wasbrilliant and took methrough it step by step…when I returned for myoperation I felt far more inthe driving seat and knewwhat questions I wantedto ask.”
Supporting independent living
Most people feel more afraid of losing their sightthan any other sense. This is because of theperceived, and often very real, impact sight losscan have on your independence. We are absolutelydetermined to do all we can to help peoplemaintain their independence, and lead a full andenjoyable life.
When you are diagnosed with a sightproblem you are going to worry how therest of your life will turn out. You aregoing to start to think about all those thingsyou take for granted that will suddenlybecome more difficult. It is vitally importantthat we help people deal with these initialworries about their future as soonafter diagnosis as possible. But in the past,support at the point of diagnosis has rarelybeen there. That is why we have put somuch effort into the development andimplementation of the Eye Clinic LiaisonOfficer (ECLO) role in eye clinics.
This year ECLOs were there for 14,000people at the point they were diagnosed,enabling them to more easily access thesupport and services theyneed now and in the future tomaintain their independence.
Maintaining that independence often meansdoing things in a slightly different way tothe way you may have done them beforelosing your sight. This is where our range ofspecially designed products helps to makelife that little bit easier for blind andpartially sighted people. This year we soldover 400,000 products. This included newproducts such as the “PenFriend”, alabelling device that can be used to identifyitems around the home, as well as productsthat have been helping people for yearssuch as the liquid level indicator, which canhelp someone make a cup of tea.
Diane’s story
Diane Marks was 24 years oldwhen she lost her sight 14 yearsago due to meningitis and wasleft completely blind with nolight perception at all. Prior tothis she had always had her nosein a book and one of her biggestfrustrations on losing her sightwas not being able to just pickup a book and read.
Diane told us, “The Talking Book Service is aphenomenal way to keep upwith the sighted population interms of reading. I would bedistraught if talking bookswere no longer available. Therange of books I receive fromRNIB is just incredible.”
Supporter focus
John Wilton is the chair ofthe Rotary Club EastbourneSovereign. The club areenthusiastic fundraisers onbehalf of RNIB’s Talking BookService and this year raisedmoney to sponsor their secondtalking book. It is John’s love ofreading that inspires him tofundraise for RNIB.
John said, “I am a writer and I read agreat deal. The idea of notbeing able to read fills mewith dread. The satisfactionyou get from helping someoneis great – you can’t buy it.”
In November we celebrated the 75thanniversary of our Talking Book Servicewhich has provided a vital reading serviceto blind and partially sighted people sinceit began. Last year we sent out over1.7 million books to our 38,000 subscribers.
The National Talking Newspapers andMagazines service continues to deliveraudio and text versions of national and localnewspapers and magazines either via theinternet or direct to the door of 13,000blind and partially sighted people. Thisenables them to receive information andnews at the same time as their sightedfriends and colleagues.
This year our information and membershipservices dealt with over 450,000 enquiries,giving information, support and advice topeople with sight problems, and signpostinginvaluable services and other organisationsthat are there to help them.
We created supportive networks for peoplewith sight problems through our Talk andSupport telephone groups, running 6,000sessions. These gave over 1,600 people theability to share their anxieties and concernsand learn directly from the experiences ofothers. We also gave one-to-one emotionalsupport sessions to over 3,700 people at thecrucial point where they are struggling tocome to terms with losing their sight.
If you are of working age when you loseyour sight, you are likely to worry aboutkeeping your job. A staggering 66 per centof blind and partially sighted people ofworking age are not in employment. Thisyear we worked with existing and potentialemployers to help over 1,900 people retaintheir job when losing their sight, or findnew work.
RNIB Pears Centre for Specialist Learning(the new name for RushtonSchool andChildren’s Home) is due to open in thesummer of 2011. Children moved into thenew residential accommodation in April2011 and the new school will be fully fittedout and in use by the start of the newacademic year in September.The centre offers up to 52-week specialisedresidential care in new purpose-builtbungalows with gardens and outdoor playareas. Each young person has their ownbedroom which is made safe and personal tothem. Young people are actively encouragedto make their own everyday choices anddevelop independence skills. We work inpartnership with parents, carers and familiesto ensure that they are closely involved ateach step of their child’s journey.
This year the school became the only non-maintainedschool in England to be awardedspecialist status for special educationalneeds cognition and learning - a fabulousachievement.
RNIB College Loughborough helps peoplewith sight loss and other disabilities to learnthe skills to access education, work andhousing. This year the college achieved fourof the top grades from their annual Ofstedinspection and is well on its way toachieving its target of being graded“Outstanding” by 2012.
Adrian’s story
Adrian is 18 years old. He ispartially sighted with substantialphysical needs, is strongly affectedby epilepsy and a wheelchair user.At RNIB Pears Centre we are ableto manage Adrian’s very complexneeds to allow him to learn andachieve. Adrian receivesindividualised physiotherapy andbenefits from hydrotherapy andintensive interaction. He enjoysparticipating in a variety ofactivities that include art and craft,gardening and cooking.
Diane, Adrian's mum said, “The care and educationAdrian has received at RNIBPears Centre has changedhis life – and ours – for thebetter. We have completetrust and confidence in whatRNIB Pears Centre is tryingto achieve with young peoplelike Adrian.”
Supporter focus
We are grateful to everyonewho has contributed to theredevelopment of our schooland children’s home inCoventry. In recognition ofPears Foundation’s investmentof over £1million in the project,Rushton School and Children’sHome is now called “RNIB PearsCentre for Specialist Learning”.
Trevor Pears CMG, Executive Chair, Pears Foundation told us, “Our family is delighted to support the RNIB PearsCentre which builds on fifty years of RNIB’sexpert education and care. I believe this centrewill help transform the lives of the children andyoung people who live and learn there.”
Many people with a learning disability havenever had their sight tested and are oftenstruggling to cope with complexundiagnosed eye conditions. Properassessment of their vision and ongoingsupport can dramatically improve theirquality of life. This year in order to combatthis problem we launched our DVD “Bridgeto vision”. It has been a tremendous successand has been adopted by three leadingcolleges and uploaded onto oneoptometrist’s website as a training tool forstaff and students. We are confident that inthe future this will lead to greater levels ofdetection of sight problems in people withlearning disabilities and consequently animprovement in their life chances.