Royal National Institute of Blind People

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RNIB
Royal National Institute of Blind People
Formation1868-10-16
Headquarters154a Pentonville Road, London N1
Location
Coordinates 51°31′54″N0°06′53″W / 51.5317°N 0.1148°W / 51.5317; -0.1148
CEO
Matt Stringer
Key people
Anna Tylor [1]
Website Official website

The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) is a UK charity that offers information, support and advice to people in the UK with sight loss. [2]

Contents

The Charity Commission for England and Wales investigated the charity from 2015 to 2019 and said that its failings which included medical errors and undocumented cases of physical restraint at its schools and residential facilities were some of the worst it had ever dealt with. [3] [4]

King Charles III is the charity's patron. [5]

History

The RNIB was founded by Thomas Rhodes Armitage, a doctor who had eyesight problems.

In 1868, Armitage founded the British and Foreign Society for Improving Embossed Literature for the Blind. [6] This later became the British and Foreign Blind Association. [6] In 1875 Queen Victoria became the organisation's first patron. [6]

The organisation received a Royal Charter in 1948, and changed its name to Royal National Institute for the Blind in 1953. [6] In 2002, RNIB membership was introduced and the organisation's name changed to Royal National Institute of the Blind. [6] In June 2007 the organisation changed its name again, to Royal National Institute of Blind People. [6]

In October 2008, RNIB and Action for Blind People agreed in principle to combine some services across England. The new arrangement began in April 2009, resulting in Action for Blind People becoming an Associate Charity of RNIB. [7]

The charity operated out of an office on London's Judd Street which it shared with Guide Dogs. [8] It moved into the four-storey, 57-000 square foot offices in the year 2000. However, it sold the remaining 90-years of its lease in 2021. [9] The Duchess of Edinburgh opened the organisation's new headquarters in the Grimaldi Building on Pentonville Road, London in 2023. [10] [11]

RNIB's patron was Queen Elizabeth II who became the charity's patron when she became the Queen. [12] In May, 2024 the charity announced that King Charles III would become its new patron. [13]

Charity Commission Inquiry

In 2015 the Charity Commission for England and Wales launched an inquiry into the institute following serious allegations of systemic failings within the organisation. [4] The inquiry uncovered significant management, oversight, and staffing shortcomings that led to repeated incidents where young people in the charity's care were put at risk or harmed. [3] [4] Moreover, it revealed that staff and trustees at RNIB had been guilty of misconduct and mismanagement in several of its care facilities over several years, breaching their duty of care to beneficiaries. The Charity Commission described this investigation as one of the most severe cases of charity failure. It highlighted that RNIB's corporate stewardship of services for children with complex needs fell far short of expectations. [3]

The Charity Commission's report stated that the RNIB failed to protect its beneficiaries from coming to harm. Moreover, that serious safeguarding breaches occurred within the charity due to systemic weaknesses and the absence of a centralised data-management system for its care settings. [14] [15] As part of the inquiry, the charities commission heard from multiple parties involved with the charity who attributed its failings to dysfunctional leadership and governance over many years. [14] It also found that the RNIB Pears Centre for Specialist Learning, a residential school near Coventry, failed to ensure its staff had adequate training, made multiple administration errors, neglected to document incidents of physical restraint, lacked effective safeguarding procedures, and administered the wrong medication on numerous occasions. [3]

The review attributed the charity's failings to a culture that was dismissive of external criticism from the parents of its beneficiaries. Furthermore, the charity's board was focused on narrow regulatory compliance and dismissive of criticism from the regulatory organisations it was accountable to; the Care Quality Commission and Ofsted. [15] [4]

The inquiry also found inadequate responses to complaints about unexplained injuries and improper management of medical care, possibly due to a reliance on unqualified and temporary staff. Moreover, five RNIB staff members were referred to the Disclosure and Barring Service after an audit uncovered twenty-six unreported serious incidents across the charity's facilities from March 2017 to April 2018. [3]

Two of the charity's institutional creditors considered it to have defaulted on its credit agreement terms because of the Pears Centre's regulatory difficulties and Ofted's proposed cancellation of the establishment's registration. Therefore, its creditors declared that the organisation had to pay £21 million immediately. [4] Subsequently, RNIB sold all 18 of its care homes and schools to mitigate the financial crises and limit the impact on its reputation. [3]

The Charity Commission described RNIB's shortcomings as 'one of the worst examples we have uncovered of poor governance and oversight having a direct impact on vulnerable people'. [16] The charity's former chief executive and four of its trustees resigned at the start of the inquiry.

RNIB’s chief executive, Matt Stringer, apologised for the failings. [3]

Programmes

RNIB participates in the UK Vision Strategy, an initiative of a large eye health and sight loss alliance to promote the eye health of the nation. [17]

Education and residential care

RNIB owns several educational establishments and residential care homes:

RNIB Sunshine House School and Children's Home

Sunshine House is a specialist primary school, children's home and service for families in Northwood, Middlesex. The school educates blind and partially sighted children with significant learning difficulties and disabilities between the ages of 2 and 11 years. The residential accommodation is open to children aged between 2 and 14 years who are blind or partially sighted with significant learning difficulties and disabilities, whether they also attend the school. Children stay at Sunshine House overnight up to four nights per week, up to 50 weeks per year. [18] [19]

RNIB Pears Centre for Specialist Learning

RNIB Pears Centre for Specialist Learning (Formerly RNIB Rushton School and Children's Home) was a school and children's home for young people with vision impairment and multiple disabilities or complex needs. It was based near Coventry, Warwickshire. It provided specialist education and individually tailored care and therapies for children and young people between the ages of 4 and 19. The centre was closed on 7 November 2018.

RNIB College Loughborough

RNIB College Loughborough is based in Loughborough, Leicestershire, and supports students with sight loss and other disabilities. The college provides further education programmes to learners aged 16–25 and adult employment programmes for adult learners aged 18–63 who are unemployed and looking to develop their skills or retrain and gain employment. The college offers residential or day programmes. [20] [21]

Books

The RNIB National Library Service contains more than 40,000 titles, making it the largest specialist library in the UK for readers with sight loss. [22] It stocks books in accessible formats, such as braille and giant print. It also stocks braille music. The RNIB National Library Service was created in 2007 when the RNIB's library services merged with the National Library for the Blind. [23]

Good design

RNIB promotes good design to make websites, information, products, services and buildings accessible to people with sight problems. [24] RNIB's "See it right" guidelines give practical advice on how to design and produce accessible information. [25]

Transcription Centres convert print and other material into accessible formats, such as braille, audio and large print. They also handle requests for transcription of mathematical documents, music and tactile maps and diagrams.

RNIB runs a number of training and consultancy services to help businesses and individuals create accessible services and products. [26]

Media

RNIB produce a number of magazines for professionals, carers and blind and partially sighted people.

Insight magazine

Insight magazine is aimed at parents and professionals who support blind and partially sighted children and young people, including those with complex needs. The magazine covers a number of areas including information about learning and development, news and personal stories. Insight was first published by RNIB in January 2006; prior to this RNIB produced VisAbility and Eye Contact. [27]

NB magazine

NB (New Beacon) magazine is aimed at health and social care professionals who work with blind and partially sighted people. NB supports RNIB's focus on prevention, independent living and inclusion. The magazine covers a number of areas including eye health, rehabilitation and case studies. NB was first published by in 1917 as The Beacon; the magazine changed its name in 1930 to New Beacon and became known as NB in 2006. NB celebrated its 1,000th issue in 2001. [28]

Vision

Vision magazine is a bi-monthly publication produced exclusively for RNIB members. The magazine covers a range of topics including news, recipes, reviews and people profiles. Vision was first published in spring 2002, and is distributed to all of RNIB's 10,500 member in a number of formats. In 2009 Vision won a MemCom award for best magazine in the charity/other membership category. [29] [ better source needed ]

Radio

The RNIB runs RNIB Connect Radio, which was Europe's first radio service for the blind. The group lobbied through 2023 for better disability support across the National Health Service (NHS) broadly. [30]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ White, Peter (15 December 2020). "The RNIB's New Chair Of Trustees Anna Tylor". BBC . Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  2. ↑ "Welcome to RNIB". RNIB - See differently.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Butler, Patrick (25 June 2020). "Children at RNIB schools and homes put at risk, charity regulator finds". The Guardian . Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Charity Inquiry: The Royal National Institute of Blind People (226227) and RNIB Charity (1156629)". Charity Commission for England and Wales . Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  5. ↑ "His Majesty King Charles III announced as RNIB's new patron". RNIB . 9 May 2024. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Our history". RNIB - See differently. 24 February 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  7. ↑ "Association with Action for Blind People". Archived from the original on 30 September 2011.
  8. ↑ Wait, Sam (23 January 2023). "Guide Dogs moves out of RNIB office share after five years". Civil Society. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  9. ↑ Rickets, Andy (26 January 2021). "RNIB agrees to sell its London headquarters". Third Sector (magazine) . Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  10. ↑ "HRH THE DUCHESS OF EDINBURGH OPENS THE RNIB'S NEW LONDON OFFICE". Greater London Lieutenancy. 15 June 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  11. ↑ Pearson, Andrew (6 November 2023). "RNIB's new HQ becomes exemplar in designing for blind and neurodiverse people". Royal Institute of British Architects . Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  12. ↑ "Charities pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II". Cause. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  13. ↑ White, Emma (24 May 2024). "King Charles III is new RNIB patron". Optician Online. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  14. 1 2 Weakley, Kirsty. "RNIB's governance failures led to young people being harmed, inquiry finds". Civil Society. Civil Society Media.
  15. 1 2 Rosa Royle, Orianna (25 June 2020). "Serious mismanagement at RNIB exposed vulnerable people to risk, regulator finds". Third Sector (magazine) . Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  16. ↑ Rosa Royle, Orianna (25 June 2020). "Serious mismanagement at RNIB exposed vulnerable people to risk, regulator finds". Third Sector (magazine) . Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  17. ↑ "Who's involved in the UK Vision Strategy". Archived from the original on 22 August 2010.
  18. ↑ "RNIB Sunshine House School". 20 February 2014.
  19. ↑ "Ofsted Report". Ofsted . 28 March 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  20. ↑ "RNIB College Loughborough". 19 February 2014.
  21. ↑ "Further Education at RNIB College Loughborough". Enable (magazine). 25 August 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  22. ↑ Sight, Reading. "RNIB - Key organisations - Reading Sight". www.readingsight.org.uk.
  23. ↑ "From thFrom the archive: National Library for the Blind needs more money – May 1918". The Guardian . 9 May 1918. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  24. ↑ "Accessible environments". Archived from the original on 8 November 2009. Retrieved 16 November 2009.
  25. ↑ RNIB's See it Right guidelines
  26. ↑ "Services for businesses". RNIB - See differently. 17 May 2017.
  27. ↑ "Insight magazine - RNIB". www.rnib.org.uk. Archived from the original on 8 February 2013.
  28. ↑ "History of RNIB". 24 February 2014.
  29. ↑ "Vision magazine - RNIB". Archived from the original on 27 January 2013. Retrieved 4 March 2013.
  30. ↑ "Concern over lack of progress supporting people with communication needs in NHS". The Independent. 6 February 2023. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
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