Helping VI children achieve their dreams

Sunday 18th May is a day dedicated to children. National Children’s Day – 24 hours of celebration – is focused on the importance of a healthy childhood, and protecting the rights and freedoms of young people so that they can thrive. 

 

The day has three aims: 

1. Highlight the importance of healthy, happy childhoods 
2. Celebrate all the great work that is going on nationwide to support child and family wellbeing
3. Champion children’s participation

 

When a child has a vision impairment (VI), though, it can be more difficult to achieve these goals. This National Children’s Day, we’ve spoken to two people within RSBC about the opportunities and barriers that exist for blind and partially sighted children and young people. 

 

Carla, Director of Services, RSBC 

“Every parent or carer wants to see their child be happy and healthy, and parents of vision impaired children are no different. But they can sometimes face additional challenges in making that a reality.  

Everyday situations that sighted children take for granted can present barriers for vision impaired children. That’s things like having their lesson materials made accessible so they can fully take part in lessons at school, being able to get to their friends’ houses on their own for a social activity, or taking part in an afterschool sports activity. These can all be more difficult due to the obstacles in the way of getting about independently, and a lack of understanding about how these things can be made more inclusive.  

Taking part in everyday childhood activities makes a big contribution towards a happy, healthy child. That’s why RSBC is determined to help remove constraints and ensure that blind and partially sighted children get the same opportunities as their sighted peers. 

So much happens at RSBC that contributes to helping them live happy, healthy lives. We have a broad range of activities, support and services that can make a real difference, from activities that build confidence to independent living skills and fun social opportunities, and from bespoke emotional wellbeing support for positive mental health to training for activity providers to help them become more inclusive. 

RSBC’s mantra is that we should be led by the voices of children and young people, and so involving them in what we do and how we develop our services is a vital part of our work. Our dedicated Youth Forum supports and guides us as an organisation, with its own, very clear, manifesto that seeks to make an impact for other vision impaired children and young people and change what’s important to them. And our group of Young Ambassadors represents RSBC by using their lived experience to support others. 

It’s clear to us at RSBC, every day of the year, is that every child deserves the opportunity to thrive and be happy. While progress is being made, more opportunities that allow blind and partially sighted children to achieve the aims of National Children’s Day are still needed.” 

 

Ikra, RSBC Young Ambassador 

“I was born with retinitis pigmentosa. It’s a genetic eye condition that causes a gradual loss of vision over the years. As a younger child, I didn’t really understand what was happening, or how I’d be affected by my vision impairment – at that age, I just wanted to play with my friends, who were all sighted. I was going on slides and swings just like they were.  

“When I went to high school, though, I definitely started to think more about my loss of vision. I live in Bradford, where there aren’t many sight charities, and I first contacted RSBC during lockdown when I saw a post on Facebook about how the charity was helping VI young people online during the pandemic. 

I got involved in the Sisterhood group first of all, which is for girls and young women aged 11-25. It was good to be able to talk to other people with VI, as I didn’t really know many – all my friends were sighted. I then went on to be a Youth Forum member. Now, I’m an RSBC podcast contributor, as well as being a Young Ambassador and a volunteer. And RSBC’s Futures service, which helps young people with transitioning into work, has been a great support to me, too, with things like applying for jobs which have inaccessible application forms.  

I firmly believe that blind and partially sighted children in every area of the country should be able to have support like RSBC provides, because there’s generally a real lack of support.  

While RSBC’s services are widening out all the time, as a charity it takes time for that to happen. RSBC’s passionate about helping every young person to have their voice heard, and be empowered and confident. I don’t know of anywhere else that’s doing that at the moment.” 

 

If you’d like to know more about the services that RSBC provides to help promote health and happiness in children and young people with vision impairments, visit: www.rsbc.org.uk/how-can-we-help