Project to help blind in rural areas

A two-year scheme is being launched by Action for Blind People to take practical support out to those living in North Yorkshire's isolated rural areas.

The £57,500 project, financed by the Community Fund, will see information specialists visiting people in their own homes, providing essential access to support services.

Working closely with Social Services, the aim is to reduce the isolation felt by many people who find it hard to visit eye clinics once they are diagnosed with sight loss.

Support services manager Joan Jones said: "Losing your sight can be a devastating and isolating experience. The news may be overwhelming and if you live in a rural area it can be difficult to get to the support you need.

"Blind and partially-sighted people across North Yorkshire will really benefit from this new project.

"Many people feel restricted to their homes when they find out they are losing their sight, as this often means stopping driving, forcing them to rely on public transport.

"This project will get the information people need to them, without forcing them to use public transport."

She added: "Thanks to the Community Fund we are now able to support people where they feel most comfortable, when they feel most vulnerable."

The Action for Blind People team will travel to people's homes and will be able to help in a number of ways.

That includes helping the newly-diagnosed access the different benefits blind and partially-sighted people are entitled to and explain what their eye condition means on a practical level.

They can help them with the options that are open to them if they are in work and give them the contacts needed to meet other people who have been through the same situation.

The outreach project supplements the work currently being carried out by Social Services in the area, who are the only organisation that carries out rural home visits.

There are currently more than 3,700 people registered as blind or partially sighted in North Yorkshire.