Vision Support - A Charity Focused on Independence and Equality

Do you want to improve or obtain computer skills, including learning to email and access the internet?

We have a dedicated team of IT Trainers based in our resource centres with extensive experience of teaching all aspects of using a computer.

We teach IT in small, informal groups of people with similar interests.

If you are interested in learning, but think that you would not manage to see the screen, we have different types of software that magnify the screen and also read the text to you.

All of our Vision Resource Centres carry a wide range of equipment and aids to make the lives of visually impaired people easier.

Our volunteers help us facilitate social activities and clubs across Cheshire and North Wales which meet regularly.

Activities include gardening, arts and crafts, bowling and walking and are an excellent opportunity to meet with and make new friends and to socialise.

We have four resource centres across the region in Halton, Wrexham, Rhyl and Conwy. To complement these centres we have two mobile information units which visit local communities making it easier for those unable to get to a resource centre to access information and services.

Each Centre demonstrates and sells specialist equipment to help with daily living, and has a range of information on our services and other services available locally and nationally.

Our Professionally qualified Rehabilitation Workers are contracted to Social Services. Their role as specialist workers in the field of the visual impaired focuses on maintaining independence and promoting equality for anyone living with sight loss. We also have a team of Rehabilitation Assistants who demonstrate specialist equipment and support service users in their homes.

Our team of Home Visitors befriend people with a visual impairment and assist individuals with daily tasks such as reading mail and sorting household bills. This service offers support to anyone with a visual impairment who is at risk of social isolation.

There are many people receiving a regular call from a telefriending volunteer, a number of which have become firm friends and some of the people receiving a call have been encouraged to attend social groups or activity clubs in their area. The Let’s Talk scheme enables a person with a visual impairment to be in regular phone contact with a Vision Support Telefriend representative.

Many of us wish we had a little bit more money to do the things we enjoy. Research tells us that people who have a visual impairment do not claim all the money they are entitled to. Our specially trained advisors can assess an individual's entitlement to benefits, help with completing applications and support any appeals as necessary.

We also understand that getting to one of our Resource Centres is not always convenient, and to ensure you can discuss personal matters in a private setting, we can arrange to visit you at home if preferred.

Claim what is rightfully yours with a little help from us.

Vision Support, in partnership with the National Blind Children's Society, runs a Family Support Group for the families of children with a visual impairment.

The group allows families of children with a visual impairment in North Wales to meet regularly on an informal basis. The aim is for families to meet and talk about shared issues. Through the involvement of the group we hope that parents will be able to influence local services developed for their children.

We offer a counselling service throughout Cheshire, Halton and North Wales. Our trained counsellors are available for you to talk to in confidence, they are skilled listeners, and are able to provide support and assist you in any way they can. When your life is going through any major change, like losing your sight you may encounter painful thoughts and feelings. You may understandably experience feelings of depression, and worry about how you can cope. The experience of losing your sight is different for everyone. You may be anxious about the emotional and practical effects of losing your sight, our counsellors are there to help you gain a greater understanding of your feelings, and to think about ways in which you can cope with the changes in your life.

The Eye Clinic Liaison Office at Countess of Chester Hospital provides information, advice and support to patients with an eye condition and their family members attending the hospital.

Vision Support we deliver Visual Impairment Awareness Training packages which are designed to meet the needs of our customers from all sectors.

With the final part of the Disability Discrimination Act coming into force in 2004, many organisations are assessing the need to make physical adjustments to their buildings. Vision Support has a wealth of experience in conducting Accessibility Audits and making recommendations for adjustments for people with sight loss.

Vision Support offers a Transcription Service through its trading arm, Vision Support Trading Ltd, who can transcribe written information into Braille, large print or audio.