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Blind Routes to Work Project-A new funding initiative for BlindVoice UK
BlindVoice UK have formally launched their new project that will support visually impaired people in the Tees Valley who are interested in finding employment. The £23,000 grant has come from the Tees Valley Delegated Grants Scheme administered by the Tees Valley Joint Strategy Unit and funded through European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Single Programme received from One North East via the Tees Valley Partnership.
BlindVoice UK Manager Christine Durnion said, "This is an exciting project we will be working together with a wide range of partners from education services and the employment sector to implement this project. The funding will enable us to support visually impaired people looking for employment. This support will include transcribing information into preferred formats for example Braille, audio and large print, confidence building courses, ICT courses delivered by Stockton Adult Education Service, tactile maps of work environments and whatever other support is required.
The Worshipful the Mayor of Stockton Councillor Jennie Beaumont and Dari Taylor MP will attend the launch event at the Castlegate Quay.
Stockton South MP, Dari Taylor said: "I am in an ongoing process of encouraging employers in the area to consider the employment of blind and visually impaired people. This funding is excellent news, as I want employers on Teesside to realise that this is a group of highly intelligent, loyal and committed people who - if given the employment opportunity - will receive support so that they can maximise their input into the organisation."
Anyone interested in the project or would like more information should contact Manager Christine Durnion or BlindVoice UK Employment Opportunities Officer Jill Campbell on 01642 803590 or e-mail jill.campbell@blindvoice.co.uk
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The World at Your Fingertips
Braille is a building block of literacy. Literacy is a building block of independence.
Here are just a few examples of situations in which being able to truly read in Braille is critical:
Studying, not simply reading, complex material such as a chemistry book, cookbook, or financial statement
Keeping two channels open to the mind at the same time, as in delivering a speech when referring to notes
Taking notes and keeping records for easy reference, such as address books and "to do" lists, and labeling
items such as food containers, file folders, and CDs
Reading aloud, e.g. Blind parents reading to sighted children as they develop reading skills
Learning the intricacies of language: spelling, grammar, and punctuation
Communicating with and among people who are deaf and blind, who have no other means of human communication other than hand to hand "talking"
The Use of Braille
For some people, Braille is a symbol of loss. Learning to read Braille means they are blind, and being blind means they are dependent and incapable. For other people, Braille symbolises independence: the ability to gain and organise information without relying on another person's judgment about what is important or relevant.
The change in society's conceptions about blind people, as well as studies and writings increasing awareness on blindness issues, have definitely helped to improve attitudes toward blind people. However, issues such as lack of Braille instruction and low literacy rates among many blind children tell us that there is more work to be done on policies and the attitudes that often help to form the policies.
Braille is the system of six raised dots created in 1821 by French schoolboy Louis Braille. It is the only medium through
which children with profound or total loss of sight can learn to read and write.
While tape recorders and talking computers are handy and important sources of information for blind people, only braille allows for complete command of written language.
In recent studies, blind people who learn braille at an early age have generally been found to complete more years of
school, have higher incomes and employment rates, and read more in adulthood than do blind people who do not learn braille in childhood.
Without Braille, large print, the spoken word and other types of accessible media, the visually impaired would be cut off from a world of information, be it in education, employment or leisure.