Collaboration
We continued our commitment to work in partnership with other organisations providing services to people who are blind or vision impaired. In May, VISPA (Vision Impaired Service Providers Alliance), which is made up of NCBI, Fighting Blindness, St. Joseph's Centre for the Visually Impaired and Irish Guide Dogs, marked the first ever Vision Week. The week, which was sponsored by Specsavers, promoted eye health and also what it means to live with sight loss.
The campaign included cinema and radio ads and also saw the launch of the Make a Difference Awards, which recognised people who make a difference in the lives of people who are blind or vision impaired in three categories - community, business and individual.
Sight Village, the UK’s leading exposition of assistive technology came to Ireland for the first time during VISPA Vision Week, with exhibitions in Dublin and Cork. It provided a unique opportunity to view, try out and purchase the latest technology and low vision products and was very well attended.
NCBI is a partner in an innovative cross-border project called the Sensory Engagement Project, running from 2010 to 2013, which will work with hundreds of people with sight or hearing difficulties. The project has received funding from the EU’s INTERREG IV Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body.
NCBI’s partners are the RNIB NI (Royal National Institute for Blind People), RNID NI (Royal National Institute for Deaf People) and DeafHear - four of the largest organisations providing support services for people with vision or hearing loss across Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Over the next three years the project will deliver an active citizenship programme that will assist hundreds of people with sight and hearing loss on a cross-border basis. Basic IT training and a confidence building course will be delivered to over 300 people.
Over 600 customer-facing staff working in service delivery within third level colleges, libraries and a number of participating banks across the border region of Ireland and Northern Ireland will receive sensory awareness training to improve front line services to people with sight and hearing impairment.