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Useful Vision
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Useful Vision is a registered charity providing positive opportunities and fun-packed events for blind or partially sighted children around the North East. They work with children and their families to give them the help they need to flourish.
Their mission is to provide accessible, positive opportunities and activities to visually impaired children and their families throughout the North East. Keep up to date with their latest events on their website.
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Teesside Society for Blind and Partially Sighted People
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The society run a weekly Youth Club for blind and partially sighted children and young people aged between 6 – 20 years old. The club is based on sight at Teesside Society for Blind and Partially Sighted People, Stockton Road, Middlesbrough, TS5 4AQ and is held every Friday evening, providing an opportunity for children and young people to relax and socialise. The society have access to their own mini bus, and are able to collect children and young people from their homes and return them; the mini bus is also used to take children and young people for days out and holidays. For further information about the club, contact Rowna Aston on 01642 247518.
Vision England holidays for 14-17 year olds with Vision Impairment
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Vision England is an exciting residential programme for 14-17 year olds with vision impairment, in partnership with the Field Studies Council.
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Victa activites
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VICTA provides support to children and young people who are blind or partially sighted and their families. VICTA organises activities designed to improve the emotional, social and living skills of the children and young people that we support. Bringing children and young people who are blind or partially sighted together to socialise, have fun and travel whether in the UK or abroad helps them to realise just what they can achieve. Annual Family Weekends, Early Years Weekends and Youth Weeks.
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Clear Vision Project
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ClearVision is a postal lending library of children’s books designed to be shared by visually impaired using tactile means and sighted children and adults. All the books have braille, print and pictures. Membership for educational settings is £50 per year and is free to parents of visually impaired pupils. There are over 14,000 books in the collection, catering for children from birth until they’re independent readers. Fiction and non-fiction in uncontracted (grade 1) and contracted (grade 2) braille and Moon.
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Living Paintings
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Living Paintings is a charity in the UK who design, create and publish tactile and audio books for blind and partially sighted people. They call them Touch to See books. They publish titles suitable for anyone from pre-school to adult. Their wide and growing range is designed to provide education and life-long learning, enhance lifestyle and support leisure interests. Living paintings distribute these Touch to See books through our free postal library.
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National Accessible Library
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The National Accessible Library is a free online library for visually impaired readers. Both schools, children and young people with vision impairment and parents can join the library.
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Our library is for people who are unable to enjoy reading a printed book because they are blind, visually impaired, have print blindness due to dyslexia or are physically impaired.
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The books are available in a variety of formats, including Microsoft Word, plain text and Braille. The books in Microsoft Word format are marked up in order to make it as easy as possible to customise the book to suit the way you want to read them. The charity continues to add books to the library all the time, on every subject. Click the link to the library http://www.accessiblelibrary.org.uk/
RNIB Library
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The RNIB Library is the largest of its kind in the UK, and it’s completely free with over 60,000 items in the collection. This website is your gateway to the entire collection in one place; Audio, Braille, Giant Print, Music – there is so much to access, borrow and enjoy.
Audio books from the RNIB
The Talking Books service is absolutelyfree. Giving you access to over 25,000 fiction and non fiction books for adults and children.
Young Calibre
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Young Calibre audio library is a national charity providing a subscription-free postal service of unabridged audio books for young people with sight problems, dyslexia or other disabilities, who cannot read print. Young Calibre is a subscription-free postal library bringing you the fun of audio books. There is a single-payment joining fee of £20 to join Young Calibre.
RNIB
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This link from the RNIB provides information and support on starting college, starting university, starting work, free time.
Careers magazine for young people available in accessible formats
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Moving On is a bi-monthly magazine aimed at young people aged 14-18 and offers information about choices following school, including education, qualifications and careers. Sign up for free and take advantage of a wealth of resources around careers and education on the Moving On website, including their blog. Would you like an accessible version? At RNIB we have partnered with Moving On to provide an accessible etext edition by email. To sign up for the accessible email edition call the RNIB Helpline on 0303 123 9999 or email helpline@rnib.org.uk, quoting order code 713E.
Project Aspiro
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Project Aspiro is a comprehensive career planning and employment resource for individuals who are blind or partially sighted.
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VICTA
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Within VICTA’s website there is information to apply for a range of grants.
http://www.victa.org.uk/grants/
VICTA is currently working in partnership with RNIB on a product grant programme focussed on supporting independent study using technology. If you are registered blind or partially sighted and a UK resident aged between 11 and 25 you could be eligible for an Apple iPad Air 2 (32 GB) with case.
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Through VICTA you can also apply for software, a laptop, computer or braille note taker.
Family Fund
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The Family Fund help families across the UK who are raising a disabled or seriously ill child or young person aged 17 or under. It is possible to apply for computers or tablets as well as a wide range of other things.
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Habilitation involves one-to-one training for children and young people with a vision impairment. Please follow this link for more information:
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There are many different touch typing programmes avalible. We recommend using ‘Doorway Online’ this is because it is clearly set out and has a speech option. It is a free programme avalible online. Please find the link for a recording sheet to use with ‘Doorway Online’.
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