BlindVoice UK was launched informally in 1997 in a local pub with a meeting of like-minded blind and visually impaired people and a local Councillor who was sympathetic to their needs.

The purpose of the group was to identify and challenge situations where access for blind and visually impaired people was considered to be inadequate. Since then its membership, its influence and its reputation have grown quickly in a surprisingly short space of time.

The volume of work has increased steadily and the group is now widely recognised as an organisation to be consulted on all issues for blind and visually impaired people in the Stockton area

Dari Taylor, George Glass chairman and mayor.

BlindVoice UK is run by blind and visually impaired people for blind and visually impaired people. This was a contributing factor in the Community Fund Award recently received for running costs over a three year period enabling the group to appoint a full time professional manager, and has helped establish an office and a Communication Centre where written documents are converted into Braille, large print, audio and CD.

Partnerships can increase reach in disadvantaged communities and BlindVoice UK value the benefit’s working in partnership can bring.
A partnership with Stockton Borough Libraries has for some time provided blind and visually impaired people with a suite of dedicated access technology. The suite is named after Ann Kallagher a founder member of the group who died suddenly four years ago.

A further Partnership with Stockton’s Adult Education department has equipped the Communication Centre with state of the art technology and provide a dedicated classroom environment where, with the support of Adult Education tutors, blind and visually impaired people can learn how to use a computer, send and receive e-mails and gain new qualifications. A successful Braille for the Sighted course teaches sighted people how to learn Braille.
The group provides help and support for blind and visually impaired people in and around Stockton, and aims to ensure that its members gain confidence, training, empowerment skills and self-awareness.