Vision Foundation launches fund to support London’s blind & partially sighted
Melanie May | 11 November 2019 | News
The Vision Foundation has launched a new fund to address the most pressing issues affecting blind and partially sighted people in London today.
The Vision Fund is designed to fund projects changing lives amongst London’s visually impaired communities and will be available to projects that address one of the following three key priorities:
- Opening London up
Everyone living, working or visiting London should have access to the cultural, economic and social opportunities of the city.
- Empowering those at-risk
Supporting groups that can face a “double disadvantage”: when facing sight loss, those from the BAME community, older people, women, those living on a low income and those with other disabilities risk experiencing poorer outcomes. In addition, some consequences of sight loss lack support, such as the heightened risk of domestic violence, poverty or poor mental health.
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- Preventing avoidable blindness
200,000 people live with sight loss in the capital and just under 700,000 (1 in 12 adults) with a sight threatening condition, with figures set to increase significantly by 2030. An estimated 50% of sight loss is avoidable, but not currently avoided.
The Vision Foundation supports established organisations delivering services directly to blind and partially sighted people across London. This new fund is open to organisations operating services and projects that can demonstrate a track record of success and evidence the effectiveness of their work.
The Vision Foundation’s Chief Executive, Olivia Curno, said the Vision Fund was a new opportunity for organisations to make London accessible for everyone with sight loss and work to reduce preventable blindness.
“London is an incredible city but for many blind and partially sighted people the capital is out of reach. Three quarters of visually impaired people of working age are not in paid employment – that’s the equivalent of about 700 London buses full of people unable to find work. Our new fund will challenge London to put accessibility first and make sure blind and partially sighted people are not left out.”
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.