Royal National Institute of Blind People

Last updated

RNIB
Royal National Institute of Blind People
Formation16 October 1868 (1868-10-16)
Type Registered charity
Headquarters154a Pentonville Road, London N1 9JE
Location
Coordinates 51°31′54″N0°06′53″W / 51.5317°N 0.1148°W / 51.5317; -0.1148
Region served
United Kingdom
Chief Executive
Matt Stringer
Key people
Anna Tylor (Chair) [1]
Website rnib.org.uk
Formerly called
British and Foreign Society for Improving the Embossed Literature of the Blind;
British and Foreign Blind Association;
National Institute for the Blind;
Royal National Institute for the Blind;
Royal National Institute of the Blind

RNIB (formally, the Royal National Institute of Blind People and previously the Royal National Institute for the Blind) is a British charity, founded in 1868, that serves people living with visual impairments. [2] It is regarded as a leader in the field in supporting people in the UK who have vision loss. [3] The organisation seeks to increase awareness of the lived experiences of people who are blind or partially sighted. Additionally, it campaigns to make services such as healthcare, education and public transport safer and more accessible to people with visual impairments.

Contents

The Charity Commission for England and Wales investigated the charity from 2018 to 2020, finding multiple failings described by the Commission's chief executive as "one of the worst examples we have uncovered of poor governance and oversight having a direct impact on vulnerable people." [4] [5] The RNIB began selling all its eighteen schools, homes and other institutions. [6]

History

RNIB was first established on 16 October 1868 as the British and Foreign Society for Improving the Embossed Literature of the Blind. [7] [8] The first meeting, which was held at 33 Cambridge Square, Hyde Park, London, involved founder Thomas Rhodes Armitage (a physician who was partially sighted) and Daniel Conolly, W W Fenn [a] and Dr James Gale [b] (all three of whom were blind). [8] Later, the organisation became the British and Foreign Blind Association for Improving the Embossed Literature of the Blind and Promoting the Employment of the Blind – generally shortened to the British and Foreign Blind Association. [8]

In 1914, the organisation relocated to larger premises in Great Portland Street. [7] From 2000 until 2023, RNIB operated from premises on Judd Street, in Bloomsbury, London, which it shared with Guide Dogs. [11] In 2023, The Duchess of Edinburgh opened the organisation's new headquarters in the Grimaldi Building on Pentonville Road, London, which has been adapted to cater for the needs of people who are blind, partially sighted or neurodivergent. [3] [12] [13]

RNIB's remit has always included reading and writing (e.g. Braille), education and employment. [14] [15] From the 20th century, welfare/social support has been important. [16] [15] However, it was not till the late 1980s that eye health became a major focus. [15] Previously, eye health was seen as the sole prerogative of ophthalmologists and optometrists. [15]

In 1914, the organisation changed its name to The National Institute for the Blind, or NIB, to reflect its status as a national body involved in all aspects of the welfare of blind people. [7] The organisation was officially renamed the Royal National Institute for the Blind in 1953, having been granted a Royal Charter in 1949. [17] In 2002, the organisation was renamed the Royal National Institute of the Blind ("of" rather than "for" blind people) when it became a membership organisation. [7] To coincide with the launch of the UK Vision Strategy in 2008, it was renamed the Royal National Institute of Blind People. [7] 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. [18] It merged with RNIB on 1 April 2017. [19] [20]

Anna Tylor, who is partially sighted, [21] has been RNIB's Chair since 2020. [1] Matt Stringer was appointed Chief Executive in 2019. [22] King Charles III is the charity's Patron. [23] His mother, Queen Elizabeth II, was RNIB's Patron throughout her reign (1952–2022). [24]

Programmes and services

RNIB's helpline gives access to sight loss experts for questions and guidance. [25]

RNIB's extensive range of reading services includes RNIB Bookshare – a free library of over one million items, which supports students and others in education with a vast collection of accessible textbooks and materials [26] – and Talking Books, a service first established in 1935, [27] which offers thousands of audio books, both fiction and non-fiction. [28]

RNIB’s ECLO (Eye Care Liaison Officers) service aims to help patients understand the impact of a sight loss diagnosis and to direct them to appropriate sources of support. [29]

Since the 1950s, the children's puppet character Sooty is an exclusive feature on the charity's collection boxes. [30] [31]

Campaigning

RNIB campaigns to change behaviours and perceptions around sight loss. [21] It has been involved with several large-scale campaigns including calls for action to create a safer and more inclusive public transport system. In 2023, the charity played a key role [32] [33] [34] in a national campaign to scrap plans to close ticket offices in train stations. [35] In 2022, the charity launched its largest-ever advertising campaign, See the person, not the sight loss, to raise awareness of sight loss and the support that people who have visual impairments might need. [36] [37] [38] Along with other leading health charities, RNIB lobbied throughout 2023 for better disability support across the National Health Service (NHS). [39]

The charity has campaigned for mandatory secret ballots for people with visual impairments. [40] After the 2024 general election RNIB delivered an open letter to 10 Downing Street highlighting that according to its research roughly 87% of the UK's citizens with visual impairments were denied their right to vote in secret. [41] The campaign follows a 2019 court judgement that declared the UK's current voting arrangements for people with blindness or visual impairments to be unlawful. RNIB pointed out that in spite of the judgement, the majority of the UK's visually impaired voters do so using technology that requires them to be accompanied into the voting booth and have their choices read aloud by an assistant. [40] As of 2024 only one person living with blindness in the UK has voted in secret, using a device known as the McGonagle Reader. This comprises an audio player with headphones and a plastic template to locate the boxes on the paper. [42]

Schools, homes and other institutions

RNIB used to run a number of schools, homes, and other institutions. In 2018, an Ofsted report was highly critical of the RNIB Pears Centre for Specialist Learning, near Coventry, which comprised a school and a children's home, founded in 1957 as Rushton Hall School. Ofsted described it as inadequate in three categories and requiring improvement in the other two. It highlighted failures in safeguarding the vulnerable children and in training staff to support them. Later that year, RNIB announced that it had been unable to make sufficient improvements and was closing the Centre; RNIB's chief executive resigned. [43]

Also in 2018, the Charity Commission for England and Wales launched its own inquiry into RNIB following serious allegations of systemic failings within the organisation. In 2020, the Commission ruled that there had been significant management, oversight, and staffing shortcomings which had led to repeated incidents where young people in the charity's care were put at risk or harmed. [6] [4] The Charity Commission's chief executive described this investigation as "one of the worst examples we have uncovered of poor governance and oversight having a direct impact on vulnerable people." [5] The Commission stated that RNIB's corporate stewardship of services for children with complex needs fell far short of expectations [6] and that the charity's board had been focused on narrow regulatory compliance and dismissive of criticism from the regulatory organisations it was accountable to – the Care Quality Commission and Ofsted. [44] [45] It found failures in training, safeguarding, record-keeping, reporting, responding to complaints, and the administration of medication, as well as instances of harm. [46]

It was then reported that RNIB was selling all eighteen of its care homes and schools. [6] The Charity Commission gave RNIB an official warning and required it to overhaul its governance, management and culture. [47] In light of RNIB's progress in fulfilling the action plan, the Charity Commission withdrew its adverse decision in June 2022. [4]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ William Wilthew Fenn (1827–1906), from London, was a landscape painter and author. [9]
  2. ↑ James Gale (1833–1907) was an inventor from Devon. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Action for Blind People</span> British charity

Action for Blind People was a national sight loss charity in the United Kingdom, that provided help and support to blind and partially sighted people of all ages. In 2017 the organisation merged with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) with which it had been in a partnership since 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blind Veterans UK</span>

Blind Veterans UK, formerly St Dunstan's, is a large British charity, providing free support and services to vision-impaired ex-servicemen and women and National Service personnel. Blind Veterans UK is a registered charity in England and Scotland and operates throughout the United Kingdom. It has its head office in London and centres in Llandudno and Rustington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association</span> British charitable organisation

The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, known colloquially as Guide Dogs, is a British charitable organisation that uses guide dogs to help blind and partially blind people. The organisation also participates in political activism for the rights of those with vision impairments.

Exhall Grange School is a special school located in Ash Green just outside Coventry in Warwickshire, England. The school meets the needs of children and young people age from 2 to 19 years with physical disability, visual impairment, complex medical needs, and social, communication and interaction difficulties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RNIB Connect Radio</span> Radio station

RNIB Connect Radio is a British radio station that is part of the Royal National Institute of Blind People and was Europe's first radio station for blind and partially sighted listeners. It broadcasts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week online, on 101.0 FM in the Glasgow area and on Freeview channel 730. Live shows make up around half of the station's output, with the overnight schedule being used as a showcase for the best music, features, interviews and articles from the past few days. Most of the presenters are blind or visually impaired. From 2007 until early 2016, it was known as Insight Radio.

Ross Macfadyen is a Scottish media, broadcast and communications professional currently working in the charity sector.

The Royal London Society for Blind People (RLSB) was a UK charity that existed for 175 years to help blind and partially sighted young people in London and the South East through a blend of sports, education, and creative and developmental services.

BlindArt is a British charity that was established in 2004 to educate the public about the needs of people who are visually impaired and to promote the idea that lack of sight need not be a barrier to the creation and enjoyment of works of art. BlindArt exhibitions typically contain paintings, sculptures, installations and other works of art that have been designed to engage all the senses. BlindArt pieces are created by sighted artists, blind artists, and partially sighted artists.

British Blind Sport (BBS) is a British charity that makes sport and recreational activities accessible to people who are visually impaired. The charity enables blind and partially sighted people to experience the same sporting opportunities as sighted people. Since its establishment in 1976, BBS has become a voice for visually impaired people in the world of sport and leisure, both in the United Kingdom and on an international level. It also leads in the UK with sight classification for elite and paralympic athletes. Its headquarters are in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire.

Henshaws Society for Blind People is a specialist charity providing support, advice and training to anyone affected by sight loss and other disabilities.

RNIB Pears Centre for Specialist Learning, formerly Rushton Hall School, was a school and children’s home for young people who were blind or partially sighted and who also had multiple disabilities or complex needs such as severe or profound learning disabilities, physical disabilities, additional sensory impairment, healthcare needs and autistic spectrum disorders. The school, based just outside Coventry, was run by RNIB.

Optical Express is a provider of ophthalmology services including laser eye surgery, cataract surgery and lens replacement surgery in the United Kingdom and Europe.

Bradbury Fields is a charity based in Liverpool, UK, which works with blind and partially sighted people. It has been described by the BBC as "Liverpool's main charity for the blind" and is part of the 800 Group, a consortium of Merseyside health and care charities.

Blind in Business is a British charity that helps blind and partially sighted students into employment following graduation by providing a free training and employment service. The charity offers technical help and training courses for schoolchildren with a visual impairment, while also supporting graduates and potential employers with training and technical help. It was founded in 1992 by three visually impaired graduates in order to help others in the same situation. The founders – Neil Heslop, a business planning manager with Northern Telecom who had recently experienced sight loss, Simon Meredith, a blind solicitor with Slaughter and May and Richard Hanson, a partially sighted solicitor with Cameron Markby Hewitt – were surprised to discover as many as 80 percent of people with a visual impairment were unemployed at that time, with very few in work able to pursue a career. Blind in Business was established as a charitable trust with the backing of the Royal National Institute for the Blind and with several high-profile supporters serving as its trustees, including Bank of England associate director Pen Kent, Standard Chartered chairman Rodney Galpin and Conservative MP Emma Nicholson. The organisation's head offices are based in London, but Blind in Business operates on a United Kingdom wide basis.

Text to speech in digital television refers to digital television products that use speech synthesis to enable access to blind or partially sighted people. By combining a digital television with a speech synthesis engine, blind and partially sighted people are able to access information that is normally displayed visually in order to operate the menus and electronic program guides of the receiver.

Andrea Begley is a singer-songwriter from Pomeroy, Northern Ireland. She won the second series of the BBC singing competition show The Voice UK.

SeeAbility is a UK charity that provides support and campaigns for better eye care for people with learning disabilities, autism and sight loss. In 2017 it reported that 236 people were supported in facilities such as residential homes, supported living and activity and resource centres across the south of England. From 2013, SeeAbility launched its Children in Focus campaign, providing sight tests for children in special schools, after observing that many adults they worked with had not received good eye care when younger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sight Scotland</span> Charitable organization in Scotland, UK

Sight Scotland is a Scottish Charity based in Edinburgh, Scotland founded in 1793. The charity provides care, education and employment for people of all ages who are blind or partially sighted. Sight Scotland provides the following services: Royal Blind School, Forward Vision, Scottish Braille Press and Kidscene. Sight Scotland’s sister charity is Sight Scotland Veterans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Wireless for the Blind Fund</span>

British Wireless for the Blind Fund (BWBF) is a British charity and a private company limited by guarantee. Founded by Sir Ernest Beachcroft Beckwith Towse in 1928, the organisation provides adapted radios and audio players on free loan to registered blind and partially sighted UK residents over the age of eight, where hardship circumstances can be demonstrated by receipt of a means-tested benefit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VocalEyes</span> English charitable organisation

VocalEyes is a registered charity in England that works with arts organisations across the United Kingdom to identify and remove barriers to access and inclusion for blind and partially sighted people. Established in 1998, its primary activity is to provide live audio descriptions of theatrical plays. The organisation has subsequently worked with museums, galleries and heritage venues to deliver audio descriptions for exhibitions, as well as conducting research and training to increase disability-access to the arts.

References

  1. 1 2 White, Peter (15 December 2020). The RNIB's New Chair Of Trustees Anna Tylor. BBC ( In Touch broadcast on Radio 4). Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  2. ↑ "RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People)". Information Now. Newcastle City Council Adult Social Care and Prevention. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  3. 1 2 Watchman, Joanna (31 July 2023). "RNIB office: first UK building to fully adopt BSI neurodiversity standard". Work in Mind. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 "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. 1 2 Layton, Josh (26 June 2020). "Damning report lists 'serious failings' at RNIB children's centre in Coventry". Coventry Telegraph . Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Butler, Patrick (25 June 2020). "Children at RNIB schools and homes put at risk, charity regulator finds". The Guardian . Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "Royal National Institute of Blind People 1868". Science Museum Group . London. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  8. 1 2 3 Thomas, p.113
  9. ↑ Bassett, Troy J. "Author: William Wilthew Fenn". At the Circulating Library: A Database of Victorian Fiction, 1837–1901. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  10. ↑ Plummer, John (1868). The Story of a Blind Inventor: Being Some Account of the Life and Labours of Dr. James Gale. William Tweedie. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  11. ↑ Wait, Sam (23 January 2023). "Guide Dogs moves out of RNIB office share after five years". Civil Society. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  12. ↑ "HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh opens the RNIB's new London office". Greater London Lieutenancy . 15 June 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  13. ↑ 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.
  14. ↑ Thomas
  15. 1 2 3 4 Rose
  16. ↑ Thomas
  17. ↑ Thomas, pp.142-43.
  18. ↑ Little, Matthew (24 October 2009). "RNIB and Action for Blind People announce 'associate' deal". Third Sector . Archived from the original on 30 September 2011. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  19. ↑ "A potted history of Windermere Manor". Windermere Manor. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
  20. ↑ "Action for Blind People merged with RNIB". RNIB. 7 August 2022. Archived from the original on 7 August 2022. Retrieved 26 September 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  21. 1 2 Oliver, Toby (1 July 2024). "RNIB campaign to get better voting access for blind people". Hampshire Chronicle . Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  22. ↑ Weakley, Kirsty (25 April 2019). "RNIB appoints Matt Stringer as new chief executive". Civil Society. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  23. ↑ McCormick, Emily (29 May 2024). "RNIB appoints King Charles as royal patron". Optometry Today. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  24. ↑ Young, Kimberley; Powell, Selina (9 September 2022). "Tributes paid to Queen Elizabeth II". Optometry Today . Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  25. ↑ Hemmings, Beth (27 June 2023). "In Touch: The Support Hub; The RNIB's Helpline Services". BBC Radio 4 . Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  26. ↑ "Accessibility: RNIB Bookshare". University of Exeter Library. 23 August 2024. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  27. ↑ "How the Talking Book was born". The History Press . 16 March 2016. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  28. ↑ "Talking books and audio publications". Blind Veterans UK. 27 October 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  29. ↑ "CarePlace directory – Eye Care Liaison Officers (ECLO) – support for blind and partially sighted people". London Borough of Hounslow . Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  30. ↑ Dickenson, Andy (28 February 2022). "Volunteers needed to collect 'Sooty boxes' as blind charity's takings fall". ITV News . Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  31. ↑ "Sooty's RNIB Make-Over to Help Raise Funds". Living with Disabiltiy. August 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  32. ↑ "Train firms plan mass closures of ticket offices". BBC News . 5 July 2023. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  33. ↑ Topham, Gwyn (5 July 2023). "Plans for mass closure of railway ticket offices in England confirmed". The Guardian . Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  34. ↑ Simone, Carlo (5 July 2024). "Why could train station ticket offices be shut in England?". The Standard. Chester. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  35. ↑ Munro, Craig (5 July 2023). "Almost every rail ticket office in England to be closed in next three years". Metro . Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  36. ↑ Louis, Yasmeen (30 October 2023). "RNIB dispels myths to 'see the person, not the sight loss'". Marketing/ Beat. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  37. ↑ "RNIB launches new campaign to dispel myths and encourage people to 'See the person, not the sight loss'". Eye News. 3 October 2022. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  38. ↑ Mahtani, Nisna (8 November 2022). "Why the RNIB Wants You to 'See the Person, Not the Sight Loss'". Little Black Book. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  39. ↑ Pickover, Ella (6 February 2023). "Concern over lack of progress supporting people with communication needs in NHS". The Independent . Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  40. 1 2 Weaver, Matthew (26 June 2024). "Make this the last inaccessible election for blind people in UK, campaigners demand". The Guardian . Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  41. ↑ McIvor, Liane (3 July 2024). "RNIB campaigns to improve voting access for blind and partially sighted people". Thiis. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  42. ↑ Waple, Katie (3 July 2024). "Blind woman to vote in secret for first time". BBC News . Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  43. ↑ Mullen, Enda (7 September 2018). "Children's home and school for blind children to close". Coventry Live . Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  44. ↑ Rosa Royle, Orianna (25 June 2020). "Serious mismanagement at RNIB exposed vulnerable people to risk, regulator finds". Third Sector . Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  45. ↑ Weakley, Kirsty (25 June 2020). "RNIB's governance failures led to young people being harmed, inquiry finds". Civil Society. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  46. ↑ Butler, Patrick (24 June 2020). "Children at RNIB schools and homes put at risk, charity regulator finds". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  47. ↑ Brown, David (25 June 2020). "Faith in charities is eroding, watchdog warns". The Times . Retrieved 23 September 2024.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.