In Tribute: Celebrating a Lifetime of Service to People with Sight Loss

(Image credit: BBC)

We were deeply saddened to learn of the death of Joy Killip, a pioneer of accessible information for people with sight loss, who has passed away at the age of 101.

Joy dedicated more than six decades of her life to supporting blind and partially sighted people in her community. As a founder and stalwart of Blackpool’s Talking Newspaper service, she helped ensure that people with sight loss could remain informed, connected and engaged with the world around them; long before digital accessibility became commonplace.

She was instrumental in establishing the Talking News service nearly 50 years ago and continued to support N-Vision, the local sight loss charity, for an extraordinary 63 years.

For many blind and partially sighted people, including children, young people and families, access to everyday information can be a barrier to independence and inclusion. Joy’s efforts ensured that people who could not read print still had equal access to information: a principle that remains central to RSBC’s mission today.

Our own Bedtime Donations initiative was born from a similar desire to improve access for everyone. At RSBC, we work every day to ensure that blind and partially sighted children and young people can live lives without limits: with access to education, friendships, opportunities and information.

Joy’s legacy will live on in every person who is able to access information, stay connected and feel part of their community because of services like the one she helped create.

Read more about Joy in her tribute in the Blackpool Gazette.