PROOF-v06-COU101502_Wales National Assembly Manifesto (ENG) 2016

RNIB Cymru
Manifesto 2016
National Assembly Election
COU101502-ENG-v05-Wales National Assembly Manifesto 2016.indd 1 08/01/2016 12:38

Contents Page
Foreword 4
About RNIB Cymru 5
Key Statistics 6
RNIB Calls to Action
for 2016 and beyond 8
Priority Two:
Education 19
Priority One:
Health and care
services 10
Ophthalmology services 12
Support at the point
of need 14
Rehabilitation 15
Priority Three:
Independent Living 22
Transport 24
Tackling poverty 26
Employment 29
Accessible
healthcare standards 32


Foreword
Every day in Wales five more
people begin to lose their sight.
Sight is the sense we fear losing
most. In the next 25 years the
number of people living with
sight loss will double.
Sight loss affects every aspect
of your life, from accessing
education to finding a job and
from moving around your own
home to catching the bus to
your local supermarket. Much
of our world is set up for people
who can see where they are
going and even with the advent
of futuristic technology, cultural
understanding of what it is like
to live with sight loss is not
adequate.
Through the Wales Vision Strategy
Implementation Group and the
Welsh Government’s Eye Health
Delivery Plan, we want this next
term in the National Assembly
to ensure that blind and partially
sighted people have access to
support and services to remain
independent in all aspects of their
lives. We want people to receive
the support they need in the eye
clinic at the point of need and we
want to make sure that all people
in Wales look after their eyes.
More than 1 in 10 of the
population has never had their
eyes tested. Public transport
remains a key barrier for people
with sight loss, with inaccessible
services and a lack of support.
The hospital eye service is
struggling to meet the demand
and treat patients with conditions
which require regular treatment.
RNIB Cymru is campaigning for
the next Government to recognise
the challenges that remain for
people in Wales with sight loss.
There are many opportunities for
the next Government to lead the
way in the UK in eye health and
equality policy.
We hope you will support us on
this journey.
Ceri Jackson
Director, RNIB Cymru
4 Welsh National Assembly Manifesto 2016

About RNIB Cymru
RNIB Cymru is Wales’ largest
sight loss charity. We provide
assistance through education,
transition and employment
services; specialist advice
through our welfare rights,
Online Today and Visibly Better
services; and emotional support
through our eye clinic liaison
service (ECLO) to people living
with sight loss across Wales,
as well as campaigning for
improvements to services
and raising awareness of the
issues facing blind and partially
sighted people.
We are passionate about eye
health and improving outcomes
for people with sight loss, such
as ensuring that preventable
blindness is eradicated; people
with sight loss have the same
opportunities in education
and employment and can live
independently.
RNIB Cymru works in partnership
with public and third sector
bodies across Wales. We are
funded to deliver projects and
services to support blind and
partially sighted people across
Wales by Welsh Government,
The Big Lottery and through
European funding, as well
as charitable grants such as
Children in Need. We are also
funded to campaign on behalf
of blind and partially sighted
people and raise awareness of
the issues they face.
We are the secretariat for the
Cross Party Group on Vision
in the National Assembly for
Wales, and we are part of the
Third Sector Additional Learning
Needs Alliance (TSANA). We also
campaign for local authorities
to adopt our street charter and
create clear and accessible
streets for blind and partially
sighted people.
Our Director chairs the Wales
Vision Strategy. We are members
of and work closely with the
steering groups which deliver
the Eye Health Care Delivery
Plan, the Welsh Ophthalmology
5

Board and the Health Board Eye
Care groups. Our Director, Ceri
Jackson is also Chair of Age
Alliance Wales.
We campaign on behalf of blind
and partially sighted people
for three main outcomes: that
everyone should have access to
timely treatment, that blind and
partially sighted people should
be able to live independently
and that they have equal access
to opportunities. Our manifesto
for the 2016 National Assembly
election is framed around these
three outcomes.
Key Statistics
• An estimated 110,000 people
in Wales have sight loss
• The number of people with
sight loss is expected to
double over the next 25 years
• 1 in 9 people over the age of
60 is living with sight loss
• 1 in 5 people aged 75 or over
in Wales has sight loss, this
rises to 2 in 5 for people aged
85 and over [1]
Health and social care
An investment of £1 in the early
intervention ECLO (eye clinic
liaison officer) service brings a
return of £10.57 to health and
social care budgets in Wales [2].
Every year in Wales half of those
over 80 will have a fall in their
home [3]. Economically in Wales

falls are estimated to directly
cost the NHS £67 million per
year [4].
Not all of these falls are related
to sight loss; however the
Thomas Pocklington Trust
reported in 2013 [5] that those
with sight loss are almost twice
as likely to fall and be injured as
sighted people.
It is often the case that for people
who are developing sight loss
conditions, such as glaucoma
or wet age-related macular
degeneration, one of the eyes will
make up for the impairment and
the individual will not be aware
that their sight has deteriorated
as badly as it has, until a fall or
other accident takes place.
In October 2013 we carried
out a survey which found that
in at least five local authority
areas, people were waiting over
24 weeks for rehabilitation
services [6].
Depression and
poverty
Older people with sight loss are
almost three times more likely
to experience depression than
people with good vision [7]
and the British Medical Journal
reports that sight loss is one of
the top three causes of suicide
among older people [8].
Nearly half of blind and partially
sighted people feel ‘moderately’
or ‘completely’ cut off from people
and things around them [9].
Education and children
Of the 110,000 people in Wales
living with sight loss, this
includes an estimated 1,935
children and young people aged
0-25 years.
Children with sight loss are at risk
of poor outcomes across a range
of social and emotional wellbeing
indicators.
7

Priority One: Health
and care services
• Ophthalmology
targets for treatment
to be intelligent
targets.
• Sustainable funding
for adequate provision
of Eye Clinic Liaison
Officer Services in all
Local Health Boards.
• Ensure rehabilitation
services are free
and available in an
appropriate timescale.
RNIB Calls to Action
for 2016 and beyond
RNIB Cymru calls upon the next
Welsh Government to act to
improve the lives of blind and
partially sighted people and
those at risk of sight loss and
adopt these policies:

Priority Two: All blind
and partially sighted
children have timely
and appropriate
access to a Qualified
Teacher for Visual
Impairment (QTVI)
• The mandatory
inclusion of QTVI
training in the code
of practice for special
educational needs.
• The Welsh
Government to
create a sustainable
training route for
the mandatory
qualification that takes
into account the Welsh
education context,
language and culture.
• A requirement on
local authorities and
Estyn to monitor the
level of QTVI provision
within the inspection
framework.
Priority Three:
Independent Living
• Public transport
information is
accessible with audio
announcements on
buses, coaches and
trains.
• Support for anyone
with sight loss to
access the welfare
benefits they are
entitled to.
• Tackling poverty
through benefits
uptake and
employment.
• A commitment
to accessible
information,
communication and
the built environment.
• Improve infrastructure
and remove barriers to
digital inclusion.
9

Priority One:
Health and
care services
What RNIB Cymru are calling for in 2016
National Assembly Elections:
• ophthalmology targets for treatment to
be intelligent targets
• sustainable funding for adequate
provision of Eye Clinic Liaison Officer
Services in all Local Health Boards
• ensure rehabilitation services are free
and available in an appropriate timescale.

Ophthalmology
Services
RNIB Cymru believes that
everyone in Wales has a right
to timely access to high quality
specialist care including
cataract surgery and NICE
approved treatments for
degenerative eye conditions.
At present the Referral to
Treatment Time target (RTT)
only focuses on the initial
diagnosis and first treatment.
There is no target for follow up
eye appointments, and therefore
the risks to the patient cannot
be adequately managed. This is
why an RTT target which does
not focus on the clinical time
frame is potentially damaging as
it drives attention and resources
away from ensuring timely follow
up appointments.
As most sight loss conditions are
degenerative, but also treatable
and blindness preventable, a
clinically led target is required
with follow up treatments built
in. We believe that targets which
are intelligent and based on
need within the new outcome
frameworks for the NHS would
help alleviate a lot of the capacity
crisis, enabling more people to
keep their sight for longer.
Improved outcomes in
ophthalmology will lead to
better health outcomes overall
and achieve savings in other
areas of the health service.
For example, almost half of all
falls experienced by blind and
partially sighted people were
found to be attributable to their
sight loss [10].
The next Welsh Government
must recognise that
referral to treatment times
in ophthalmology are not
appropriate for the specialty.
They must develop and
implement a new system of
monitoring and running an
appointment system.

Support at the point
of need
Receiving the news that you
are losing your sight can be
devastating. This is why timely
support in the eye clinic is
integral to ensuring that people
are signposted to services to
find out how they can live a
full and happy life after that
diagnosis. The Eye Clinic Liaison
Officer Service (ECLO) has also
been proved to save health and
social care budgets £10.57 per
patient.
ECLOs work in eye clinics, and
offer support to people with
sight loss at the point of need.
They are recognised by the Royal
College of Ophthalmologists as an
integral part of a minimum service
team within the eye clinic. The
presence of an ECLO improves
patient experience and supports
improved long-term outcomes
for patients.
Without the right support, the
impact of sight loss can have a
major effect on other areas of a
person’s life, such as falls, isolation
and on the ability to stay in work.
RNIB supported by the Big Lottery,
currently funds five ECLOs in four
Health Boards in Wales.
In an RNIB published study [11],
carried out at Singleton Hospital
in Swansea, it was found using
social return on investment
(SROI) methodology, that an
investment of £1 in the early
intervention ECLO service brings
a return of £10.57 to health and
social care budgets in Wales.
This service is a positive source
of timely emotional and practical
support, bridging the gap
between Health and Social Care.

Health Boards across Wales
already recognise how important
this service is for patients.
For this vital service to continue,
sustainable funding needs to
be a priority for the next Welsh
Government.
Other benefits include:
• increased job retention
• reduced fear of falling
• increased independence
at home
• increased mental
wellbeing
• fewer follow-up clinic
appointments.
Rehabilitation
The impact of sight loss is
often not understood, both in
terms of how it affects daily
living and in its psychological
impact. The support of
specialist rehabilitation officers
is crucial in maximising the
independence of people with
sight loss.
In April 2016 the Social Services
and Well-being (Wales) Act
2014 will come into force. If its
primary aims are to be realised
by ensuring that people receive
care and support which is
personalised and promotes
wellbeing, then blind and partially
sighted people must be assessed
by trained and experienced
professionals. A specialist
assessment will also mean that
assessors will be able to support
blind and partially sighted people
to understand what support they
require to get the outcomes that
they need and to assess fairly
whether or not their needs meet
eligibility criteria.
Health and care services 15

It is important that the needs
of blind and partially sighted
people are reflected if the Social
Services and Wellbeing (Wales)
Act’s regulations and guidance
are to be fit for the future. Sight
loss impacts on every aspect
of a person’s life: their physical
and mental health, their ability
to live independently, their
ability to find or keep a job, their
family and social life. Support
from social services is crucial in
promoting the wellbeing of blind
and partially sighted people. It is
therefore vital that the new Act
and regulations such as charging
for certain preventative services,
does not have an adverse impact
on people with sight loss and are
sustainable to meet the expected
increase in numbers.
Rehabilitation is both a service
which helps a person with sight
loss to adapt to the world around
them, and a preventative service.
The specialist rehabilitation
service allows a partially sighted
person to re-learn skills they need
to live an independent life.
To allow blind and partially
sighted people the best chance
of living independently, the next
Welsh Government must ensure
that rehabilitation support is
not a postcode lottery, and not
affected by changes to social
service provision.
Health and care services 17

Priority Two:
Education
What RNIB Cymru are calling for in the 2016
All blind and partially sighted children have
timely and appropriate access to a Qualified
Teacher for Visual Impairment (QTVI)
• the mandatory inclusion of QTVI training in
the code of practice for special educational
needs.
• the Welsh Government to create a
sustainable training route for the mandatory
qualification that takes into account the
Welsh education context, language and
culture.
• a requirement on local authorities and Estyn
to monitor the level of QTVI provision within
the inspection framework.

80 per cent of learning is visual
for children who have full sight.
It is essential that the needs of
students with sight loss who are
in education are recognised and
that there is specialist support
in place. The potential impact of
even a relatively moderate visual
impairment is significant, and
schools to universities need to
consider a range of adjustments
to ensure that visually impaired
students have equal access to
learning.
As children with sight loss learn
differently it is vital that specialist
teachers who understand this are
available to support teachers and
learners across Wales. Research
undertaken by RNIB Cymru
has shown that the number of
teachers holding the teaching
qualification for this specialty
has slowly been decreasing as
teachers get closer to retirement
age and are not replaced.

The qualification for teaching
children with sight loss has been
made mandatory in England. The
only university which currently
provides the course in the UK is
in England (Birmingham) and is
oversubscribed, which means
that Welsh teachers are not given
priority to access the course. It is
also vital that school inspection
regimes are required to monitor
the provision of specialist support
across Wales.
It is clear that the right support
in schools is necessary to ensure
that children with sight loss are
not left behind and are able to
develop at the same rate as
their sighted peers, with equal
opportunities and outcomes.
We believe that the next Welsh
Government must commit
to introducing the Additional
Learning Needs Bill in the next
Assembly and introducing it into
law. It is vital that part of the next
Welsh Government’s Programme
for Government commits to
ensuring that blind and partially
sighted children are supported in
their learning.
Education 21

Priority Three:
Independent
Living
What RNIB Cymru are calling for in the 2016
• public transport information is accessible with
audio announcements on buses, coaches and
trains
• support for anyone with sight loss to access
the welfare benefits they are entitled to
• tackling poverty through benefits uptake and
employment support services
• a commitment to accessible information,
communication and the built environment
• improve infrastructure and remove barriers
to digital inclusion.

Transport
Getting out and about can be
a daunting challenge. All blind
should be able to get around
independently in safe public
environments, with accessible
timetables, announcements and
better training for staff on these
services.
Accessibility on public transport
is one of the most persistent
topics raised by our members.
In partnership with Guide Dogs
Cymru and with funding from the
Welsh Government we launched
a guide to making bus services
more accessible for people with
sight loss in January 2015 to try
and address these issues.
From research carried out to
inform our guide “Get on Board”
[12] we found there were many
issues blind and partially sighted
people faced when accessing
public transport. Incidents such
as bus drivers being rude to
partially sighted passengers who

mistakenly pulled over the wrong
bus as it was too difficult to make
out the number in time.
Other incidents included drivers
finding audio announcements
annoying and turning them off,
and drivers who were unable to
assist the passenger with finding
the right bus stop.
Often a blind or partially sighted
person will learn a route to enable
them to live independently. If a
bus driver refuses or forgets to
help them find this stop, or turns
off audio announcements, people
can very easily end up in the
wrong place and may no longer
be able to travel independently.
In rural areas blind and partially
sighted people rely on public
transport that is often old, with
bus stops that have almost no
information. Any information that
is there is often out of date or
too small and weather-beaten
to easily access. Rural services
are essential to local people, and
especially to blind and partially
sighted people who cannot drive.
Funding for these services must
be protected and enhanced.
In the next Assembly the Welsh
Government will have control of
the new rail franchise, and the
provisions in the draft Wales
Bill also contains powers over
bus regulation for the Welsh
Government.
RNIB Cymru believes the Welsh
Government should take this
opportunity to ensure that rail
and bus services are fit for
purpose. We believe the next
Welsh Government must commit
to holding companies which run
these vital services to account.
These opportunities must be
used to build a more integrated
and inclusive approach to public
transport, with all current bus
and rail rolling stock required
to be upgraded and audio
announcements to be phased in
on all new machines.

Tackling poverty
People with a disability of any
kind are around twice as likely
as non-disabled people to live
in a low income household [13].
Often blind and partially sighted
people do not claim the full
support they are entitled to,
which can include benefits,
advice and information. RNIB
Cymru believes more support
needs to be provided by the
next Welsh Government,
working closely in partnership
with the UK Government to
ensure that blind and partially
sighted people receive the
services they are entitled to.
The Centre for Research and
Social Policy at Loughborough
University has estimated that
unmet costs faced by blind
and partially sighted people,
excluding personal assistance
costs, amount to £200 per week
[14]. Extra costs associated
with living with sight loss include
higher utility bills, equipment to
live more independently, taxis etc.
Evidence from RNIB Cymru’s
specialist Welfare Rights Advice
Service shows that over 60
per cent of the 1,475 cases
seen in 2013/14 alone were
under-claiming their benefit
entitlement. Disability Wales’
2013 report showed there were
significant barriers for people
with sight loss claiming their full
benefits entitlement as a result
of not understanding what their
entitlement is and not being able
to access advice and support
that meets their needs.

In 2013/14 RNIB Cymru’s
specialist welfare rights
service secured £3,463,656 in
under‑claimed welfare benefits
and backdated payments for 896
blind and partially sighted people,
an average increase of £63.45
per week per successful outcome.
The new service launched in
Bangor in February 2015 will help
over 5,103 people over the next
two years and nine months and
an additional £11,992,050 of new
income brought into Wales which
would otherwise would not be in
the Welsh economy.
People with sight loss face
a complex set of barriers to
accessing information, advice,
guidance and support on welfare
rights and other issues such
as access to public services.
These barriers include a difficulty
in accessing the written and
spoken word; a lack of accessible
information; a lack of confidence
to ask for assistance; and service
providers lacking understanding
of their needs, which commonly
results in disengagement
and isolation. This serves to
compound the already isolated
and lonely experience of blind
and partially sighted people, who
already find the communities
they live in challenging, and often
frightening, places. A report by
the Independent Advice Providers
Forum in Wales [15], interviewed
around 600 service users across
Wales. The key findings of the
consultation were that there was
a need for services to have the
service user at its centre and to
be flexible, as well as considering
the impact of Welfare Reform.

The Impact of
Welfare Reform
Welfare reform is creating
additional difficulties and
anxieties for people with sensory
loss. Disability Wales’ report
[16] noted that disabled people
across the UK will bear the brunt
of the cuts to the welfare budget,
with disabled people in Wales
being particularly hard hit.
Barriers include:
• lack of information in
accessible formats
• mobility and access to
services is extremely difficult
• even if a person is able to
find out about benefits, the
completion of forms and
follow up documentation is
often not possible
• questions are aimed at
physical rather than sensory
disabilities
• people often say they don’t
need any help for fear of losing
their independence.

Ensuring that services are
accessible to blind and partially
sighted people will contribute
extensively to tackling poverty
in Wales. The current Welsh
Government has the Tackling
Poverty Action Plan, Framework
for Action on Independent Living
and the Strategy for Older People
in Wales 2013-2023. Adopting a
programme such as RNIB Cymru’s
specialist Welfare Rights service
would help meet the aims and
objectives of all three.
RNIB Cymru calls upon the next
Welsh Government to commit to
working with the UK Government
on how advice, support and
information is supplied to blind
and partially sighted people to
ensure that welfare benefits do
not stay unclaimed.
Employment
Blind and partially sighted
people are significantly less
likely to be in paid employment
than the general population
or other disabled people [17].
Only one in three registered
blind and partially sighted
people of working age is in paid
employment. They are nearly
five times more likely than the
general population to have had
no paid work for five years. In
a 2012 survey carried out by
NatCen and RNIB, people with
sight loss of working age were
much more likely than those
with no impairment to face great
difficulty making ends meet [18].
Employers may need to make
adjustments to support
employees with sight loss, but
often those with sight loss do
not need major adjustments
made in their workplace. Often
any specialist equipment needed
can be provided by Access
to Work, a UK Government
programme, but many people

with sight loss do not know that
this provision is available and
the process of securing and
receiving this equipment can
be very slow. There is very little
provision through work choice
or work programme to provide
specialised knowledge and
support to those who are over the
age of 25 with sight loss.
It can be difficult for young people
to make the transition between
learning and employment, or for
those developing sight loss or
having lived with a condition all
their lives to stay in employment
or have access to work. RNIB
Cymru believes that blind and
partially sighted people need to
be supported to work. There are
just over 4,000 registered blind
and partially sighted people of
working age in Wales, compared
with just over 84,000 in the
UK overall.

Employment support
services
Support for disabled people
to find and stay in work is
typically provided via one of
several schemes funded by
the Department for Work and
Pensions. However, there are
many support programmes
which are supporting blind and
partially sighted people in Wales.
Our Future in Sight project,
funded through the Bright New
Futures Big Lottery stream
has enabled us to develop
our exemplary scheme which
provides meaningful work
experience, and subsequent
employment opportunities for
young people with sight loss and
helps break down barriers with
employers employing people with
sight loss.
Our Transitions Service provides
information and support to
both young people with sight
loss and their parents / carers
on the transition from school
to independent adulthood,
whether college, university,
vocational training, volunteering or
employment. We ensure that they
are aware of funding streams such
as Disabled Student’s Allowance
(DSA) and Access to Work.
Our Employment Service works
closely with people over the age
of 25 to help them secure and
stay in work, often through the
Access to Work scheme. We
provide support on employability
skills including CV writing,
completing application forms,
disclosure of sight loss and
interview techniques.
Without partnership with the
third sector, many blind and
partially sighted people would
not be able to stay in or get
into work. It is essential that
the next Welsh Government
works in partnership with the
UK Government to improve the
employment chances of blind
in Wales.

Accessible healthcare
standards
In December 2013, the Health
Minister, Mark Drakeford,
launched the Accessible
Healthcare Standards for People
with Sensory Loss in Wales.
Wales became the first country
in the UK to lay out clearly
how NHS services would be
delivered accessibly to people
who are deaf, hard of hearing,
blind, partially sighted or have
dual sensory loss.
Professor Drakeford said, “The
NHS must be accessible to all
groups and these standards –
once fully implemented – will
help to address the barriers that
people with sensory loss face
in accessing health services,
particularly in helping staff to
identify patients with sensory loss
and meeting their needs”.
However, people with sight loss
in Wales are still facing major
barriers within their healthcare.
They are still leaving hospital
every day unsure of how much
medication they are meant to
take, or unsure of what advice
they have been given. In the
hospital setting, simple actions
such as changing the colour of
materials so that the contrast
between food and plates, or beds
and wards, toilets and floors
enable anyone with sight loss to
navigate their way more easily
which would stop patients from
going hungry, losing their way, or
taking a fall.

RNIB Cymru and our third sector
partners have worked closely
with Health Boards, NHS Centre
for Equality and Human Rights
and the Welsh Government
to raise awareness of these
standards, but we want to see
the standards fully implemented
so that people with sight loss
feel that the barriers are being
broken down. We know that most
health workers in Wales would
be horrified at the thought that
they provide an inferior service
to a person with sensory loss.
We know that they need and
want to be given the tools to do
their job in the safest and most
appropriate way.
The next Welsh Government
must monitor and review
the implementation of these
standards and ensure that the
safety and dignity of blind and
partially sighted people are
respected.
Accessible built
environments
It isn’t just within health that
accessibility standards need to
be applied.
The concept of ‘lifetime homes’
– accessible homes for all –
predates devolution and has
been signed up to by consecutive
Welsh Governments throughout
the past 15 years.
RNIB Cymru published “Housing
Sight” in 2003 in partnership
with the then Social Justice
and Regeneration Minister
Edwina Hart and the Wales and
West Housing Association. The
‘lifetime homes’ standard did not
incorporate design principles
which supported people with
sight loss and therefore the
research carried out to produce
the guide became the forerunner
for the Visibly Better Standards.
Visibly Better Standards support
and increase independence and

prevents avoidable sight loss in
sheltered and extra care housing.
The current Welsh Government
has recognised that the
population is aging and therefore
changes need to be made in
the housing stock. Recently it
has committed to setting up an
expert group to advise the new
government on this issue.
According to Age UK, every
year in Wales half of those over
80 will have a fall in their home.
According to Shelter Cymru
and the Building Research
Establishment (BRE), falls in Wales
are estimated to directly cost the
NHS £67 million per year.
Wales has led the way in this area
and this is a chance to ensure
that we are once again ahead of
the curve. As sight loss in older
people is often linked with the
onset of dementia, within our
ageing population it makes sense
to ensure our built environments
are future proofed.
RNIB Cymru believes that
compulsory Visibly Better
Standards throughout the public
and private sectors will save
money in the long run, as well as
ensuring that people are able to
live independently, and safely, in
their own homes.

Digital Inclusion
Around 38 per cent of people
aged over 50 are estimated to be
not using the internet [19].
An RNIB and BT report [20]
identified four main barriers to
enabling the digital exclusion of
blind and partially sighted people:
• perception that sight loss is a
barrier
• lack of understanding of the
internet
• knowing what to use the
internet for
• not everyone wants to be online.
RNIB Cymru’s digital inclusion
project Online Today is working
with those who have sight and
hearing loss to help them get
online and build confidence in
using digital services safely and
with confidence.
The project builds on the great
work done by the Communities
2.0 “Get Connected” funding
provided by Welsh Government in
this Assembly Term. Online Today
is supporting the new Digital
Communities Wales programme
which aims to support digitally
excluded people to get online
with a specific brief to ensure that
those with sight and hearing loss
are not left behind in the digital
revolution.
The Get Connected project
identified additional barriers
blind and partially sighted people
experience getting online. These
need to be addressed in order to
achieve the inclusion of people
with sight loss in Wales in the
digital agenda [21]:
• Digital services provided in
community locations across
Wales do not have enough
staff with the knowledge or
experience to provide teaching
support to people with sight
loss.

• Most community based
provision does not have suitable
hardware and software.
• Lack of good, regular public
transport system.
• Many people who experience
sight loss are not confident
in using the public transport
system to get to a community
venue.
• Broadband connectivity across
Wales is not comprehensive,
with some areas unable to
access a mobile signal.
• Many blind and partially
sighted people live in poverty
and are unable to purchase
the technology which would
enhance their independence.
Poverty must therefore also be
addressed in tackling the digital
exclusion of blind and partially
sighted people [22].
With so many services now
delivered online, many people
with sight loss are increasingly
excluded and marginalised from
the digital world and mainstream
society. The next Welsh
Government must ensure that
the internet is truly for everyone,
equipping the whole country with
the skills, motivation and trust
to go online and be capable of
making the most of the internet.

References
[1] Population estimates based
on: Access Economics 2009.
Future Sight Loss UK: Economic
Impact of Partial Sight and
Blindness in the UK adult
population. RNIB and Mid-2015
Population Estimates, Office
for National Statistics (released
25/06/2015).
[2] Economic Impact of an Eye
Clinic Liaison Officer (ECLO) on
Health, Social Care and Welfare
budgets: A Case Study, RNIB,
2013. Using social return on
investment (SROI) methodology,
carried out at Singleton Hospital
in Swansea.
[3] Care and Repair Cymru,
written evidence to Finance
Committee, 2014.
[4] The cost of poor housing in
Wales, Davidson, Nicol, Roys and
Beaumont, Shelter Cymru and
the BRE, 2011.
[5] Falls in older people with
sight loss: a review of emerging
research and key action points.
[6] A postcode lottery? RNIB
Cymru report, 2014.
[7] Burden of illness and
suicide in elderly people: case-
control study, Margda Waern, E
Rubenowitz, B Runeson, I Skoog,
K Wilhelmson, and P Allebeck,
BMJ, June 2002.
[8] Burden of illness and
suicide in elderly people: case-
control study, Margda Waern, E
Rubenowitz, B Runeson, I Skoog,
K Wilhelmson, and P Allebeck,
BMJ, June 2002.
[9] Impairments in the UK, The
Centre for Disability Research
(CeDR) Pey, Nzegwu and Dooley,
Functionality and the needs of
blind and partially sighted adults
in the UK: An interim report,
Guide Dogs, 2006.
[10] The incidence and cost of
injurious falls associated with
partial sight and blindness in the

UK. Visual Impairment Research
4 (1): 1-14, Scuffham PA, Legood
R, Wilson ECF and Kennedy-
Martin T, 2002.
[11] Economic Impact of an Eye
Clinic Liaison Officer (ECLO) on
Health, Social Care and Welfare
budgets: A Case Study, RNIB,
2013.
[12] Get on Board, RNIB Cymru,
Guide Dogs Cymru and Welsh
Government, January 2015.
[13] Disability Poverty in Wales,
Leonard Cheshire, 2011.
[14] Disability and minimum
living standards, Centre for
Research and Social Policy
at Loughborough University,
January 2015.
[15] “What the people of
Wales expect of advice and
information services and how
to ensure accessibility for all”,
Independent Advice Providers
Forum, October 2013.
[16] Cap in Hand: The Impact
of Welfare Reform on Disabled
People in Wales, Bevan
Foundation, April 2013.
[17] Secondary analysis of
understanding society and the
Life Opportunities Survey, Sally
McManus and Chris Lord, July
2012.
[18] Secondary analysis of
understanding society and the
Life Opportunities Survey, Sally
McManus and Chris Lord, July
2012.
[19] Welsh Government Digital
Inclusion Delivery Plan, update
2014, Welsh Government website.
[20] Tackling digital exclusion.
Older blind and partially sighted
people and the internet, RNIB,
2012.
[21] RNIB Cymru, “Get
Connected” Final Report , 2014.
[22] Out of sight. Visual
impairment and poverty in Wales,
Bevan Foundation, July 2012.

© 2016 Action for Blind People registered charity number 205913
RNIB registered charity number 226227
working together
Cardiﬀ Institute
for the Blind
Sefydliad y
Deillion Caerdydd
working with

PROOF-v06-COU101502_Wales National Assembly Manifesto (ENG) 2016

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