Oral History - Heritage Lottery Project

Blindness Through the Decades - An oral history project

Funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

"The history of Sight loss in the Tees Valley from 1945 to the present day."

"Were you born with sight problems, or did you lose all or part of your sight in later life?"

"Were you sent away to school, or did you attend a mainstream school - or no school at all?"

"Where did you find work, if at all, and how were you treated?"

These are among the questions that Blind Voice UK will be asking over the next few months. We are looking for volunteers living in Redcar, Hartlepool and Darlington, who were born with sight loss or developed it in later life, to offer their stories about the effects of such sight loss on themselves, their families and friends, their education, employment, and social lives since the end of the Second World War. The stories will be recorded and stored as a permanent oral record of their lives at Teesside Archives.

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Heritage Lottery Fund

The Heritage Lottery Fund have awarded BlindVoice UK £45,000 to fund an Oral History Project of Sight Loss in the Tees Valley from 1945 to the present day. “Blindness through the Decades” will chart the history and experiences of local people living in a world without sight.

The project will cover themes such as hospital treatments, life at home, employment opportunities, training; education and social life. It will also include the contribution made by local societies and the work of social services. The history will include many aspects of blindness and will be produced to describe the changes and progress that has been made since the end of World War II. Versions of this history will be produced in all formats including Braille and audio.

BlindVoice UK aims to develop educational events, exhibitions and other activities to engage and inform the wider community of the difficulties blind people face.

Click here to learn more about "Blindness Through the Decades"