A PUBLIC meeting about the future of education services for children and young people with visual impairment is to be held.

The meeting at the Dolphin Centre, in Darlington, on Tuesday, May 1, has been organised by the RNIB, in response to a Government consultation paper.

The group is especially keen to hear from visually impaired children at the meeting, which starts at 12.30pm.

Brian Anderson, education officer for the RNIB, said: "We have received several calls from people in this field who are concerned about the future, especially of local education authority support services.

"The aim of the meeting is to provide people with up-to-date information, and the contributions will inform RNIB's response to the paper, which must reflect concerns for the continuing provision of high quality services.

"The meeting is open to anyone with an interest in the education of visually impaired young people, parents, children and professionals from all sectors.

"We would especially welcome contributions from visually impaired children, who are, after all, the most important stakeholders.".

Speaker Olga Miller, head of RNIB's children's policy unit, will explain the implications of the document, followed by an open forum for questions and comments.

Free copies of the document are available on the Internet at www.dfee.gov.uk/consultations, by telephone on 0845 60 222 60, or by post from DfEE Publications, PO Box 5050, Sherwood Park, Annesley, Nottinghamshire, NG15 0DJ.