A Vision for a Better Scotland

RNIB Scotland's manifesto for the 2016 Scottish Parliament elections

Contents

  • Introduction
  • Vision Support Services
  • Prevention
  • Registration
  • Accessibility
  • Education
  • Employment
  • Welfare
  • Transport
  • Contacts

Introduction

Sight is the sense that most people, when surveyed, fear losing most. To be blind or partially sighted is to be more dependent on the good will and empathy of society. But with the right support and assistance, people with vision impairment can lead fulfilling lives.

The 2016 Scottish Parliament election coincides with the devolution of greater responsibilities to Holyrood. The Smith Commission has also laid out a range of further fiscal, legal and welfare powers over which MSPs will have more discretion.

We believe these have the potential to build even further on Scotland's position as a world leader in eye healthcare.

In this manifesto, we have outlined eight areas which, if acted upon, could significantly improve life for people in Scotland who are blind or partially sighted, as well as increasing efforts to prevent sight loss where possible.

Like most developed countries, we have an ageing population. So sight loss, inevitably, will become a more common feature of our society. It is vital, then, that we act now to contain preventable sight loss and maximise the independence of those whose vision cannot be saved.

The steps in this manifesto can make Scotland a kinder, safer and more inclusive place. The costs are relatively modest, but the gains for some of the most vulnerable in our society would be far-reaching and profound.

Vision Support Services

Every day in Scotland, ten people begin to lose their sight, but only one in six will be offered support. Yet being diagnosed with sight loss can be devastating news. People must try to come to terms with huge emotional, psychological and financial consequences.

A Vision Support Service can give people the help and reassurance they need to come to help them find their lives again. With eye departments stretched to capacity, healthcare staff often don't have time to provide this emotional support.

A Vision Support Service dovetails perfectly with the new integrated health and social care agenda. It can help people maintain independence and well being; refer on to other services; advise on what aids and adjustments can make life easier; help with retaining a job or retraining for new work; and offer information for family, friends and carers.

At present, there are Vision Support Services in nine of Scotland's 14 health board areas. But funding is often uncertain, with some posts funded on a year-by-year basis.

Asks

  • That the Scottish Government ensures that all patients diagnosed with sight loss have access to a consistent standard of support from trained Vision Support Officers in every health board region.
  • That Vision Support Services are recognised by new integrated Health and Social Care partnerships as a core part of the treatment and management of the sight loss journey for patients.

Prevention of Avoidable Sight Loss

According to the World Health Organisation, up to 50 per cent of existing sight loss could have been avoided. But levels of sight loss are projected to double in Scotland by 2031 if no steps are taken to contain this increase. Diabetic retinopathy, for example, is now the single biggest cause of sight loss among working-age Scots.

If we are to minimise the very high costs (personal, social and economic) of sight loss, we must raise public awareness of the importance of maintaining good eye health and how this can be done.

Within the NHS, the pressure on demand for eyecare has meant that sight issues represent the biggest single cohort in outpatient lists (18 per cent). Greater emphasis on community-based eye care services could help reduce demand in eye clinics.

Asks

  • That eye exams continue to be free to everyone in Scotland and that renewed efforts are made to highlight the availability and benefits of these, especially among groups where take-up remains low.
  • That national campaigns promote the importance of eye health, how to maintain it, and explain what the main risks are - especially targeting those groups most vulnerable.
  • That access to effective treatments is made available in time to save sight, and that new treatments are evaluated for approval as quickly as possible.
  • That capacity within the eye-treatment journey through the NHS is resourced appropriately to ensure effective and timely treatment.

Registration

The Scottish Government requires all local authorities to maintain a register of people who are blind or partially sighted in their area, and return information on this annually.

However, registration is voluntary and only a proportion - estimated between a quarter and a third of eligible people - actually do register. Some are not fully informed of the benefits registration can confer, or are uncertain as to their eligibility.

Registration also provides crucial ongoing statistical information on the numbers experiencing sight loss in Scotland. However, after 2010 the Scottish Government stopped collating and making available the figures returned by local authorities.

If Scotland is to retain its position as a leader in eye healthcare, it is essential this information is available to inform current and forward planning by all sectors at a time when sight loss is projected to increase.

Asks

  • That the Scottish Government collects and collates the registration information from local authorities to give a national picture of sight loss, and resumes publishing the results annually.
  • That any updating of the registration process is designed so as to encourage a higher proportion of those eligible to register.
  • That the format for annual information returns by local authorities is broadened to include additional categories that allow more effective deployment of public resources (such as ethnic status).

Accessibility

Accessibility, of goods and services, is a human rights issue, enshrined in Article Nine of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). This emphasises the need to identify and eliminate obstacles and barriers to accessibility.

The European Union and the UK and Scottish Governments have signed up to the Convention. However, there remains a gap between intention and reality for blind and partially sighted people. For example, in today's digital age, less than ten per cent of public and commercial websites are accessible.

Long-delayed EU legislation on accessibility could make significant improvements to the life experiences of blind and partially sighted people, in particular:

  • The Directive on the Accessibility of Public Sector Bodies' Websites
  • The European Accessibility Act

This legislation will impact on many areas of life where disabled people face barriers to full participation. It touches on everything from bank ATMs, ticketing and check-in machines, smartphones, all kinds of passenger transport services and banking services, to e-books and e-commerce.

It is vital we ensure that this legislation is fit-for-purpose in 21st century Scotland.

Asks

  • That Scottish Government ministers and politicians make best efforts to ensure that EU legislation keeps pace with technology and includes apps in the scope of the Directives. Blind people need access to the same online content and services that everyone takes for granted.
  • That the Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament anticipate legislation by verifying accessible access to their own official and departmental websites.

Education

The Implementation of The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 (as amended): Report to Parliament 2013 reported the number of young people with a visual impairment in education is reported as 3,373 individuals.

This report identified a clear attainment gap between school pupils with sight loss and their peers - a finding echoed in NatCen Social Research and RNIBresearch on the circumstances of people with sight loss. This found that:

  • About one in five people (18 per cent) with sight loss reported restrictions to their participation in learning.
  • People with sight loss were more than twice as likely as those with no impairment to experience restrictions to participation in learning (24 per cent compared to nine per cent).
  • One in twenty (five per cent) people of working age with sight loss have no formal qualifications

If we are to ensure that young people with sight loss are enabled to maximise their full potential in education and later life, this attainment gap must be addressed.

Asks

  • Early intervention to ensure the necessary classroom support and input is assessed and provided as soon as possible.
  • Effective service delivery for pupils with sight loss - local authorities should meet their statutory obligations to provide appropriately qualified teaching and support staff.
  • The accessibility of the curriculum - local authorities must ensure their information technology accessibility policy includes the needs of blind and partially sighted pupils.

Employment

There are an estimated 8,500 registered blind and partially sighted people of working age in Scotland. However,RNIB's 'My Voice' report (2015) showed that the proportion of blind and partially sighted people inemployment hasdecreased. Only 23 per cent of visually impaired people of working age were in paid employment, and a further four percentsaidtheywere self-employed. This compares to 28 per cent in paid employment and five per cent in self-employment in 2005.

Blind and partially sighted jobseekers need specialist support within the labour market. This is all the more vital given the Smith Commission's proposal to devolve employment programmes.

People with sight loss face many barriers in gaining and retaining employment. These include low confidence and expectations; transport difficulties, lack of access to skills training, limited access to assistive technology and employer misperceptions about the wide range of work that employees with sight loss are capable of.

Asks

  • That the specialist support blind and partially sighted jobseekers need within the labour market is acknowledged and recognised, including schemes such as Access to Work and the new devolved Employment Programme replacing Work Choice and Work Programme.
  • That Skills Development Scotland ensures blind and partially sighted young people are given extensive and appropriate support to ensure they are able to participate in mainstream programmes such as Modern Apprenticeships in Scotland.
  • That the future of supported businesses, which employ around 100 blind and partially sighted people in Scotland, is secured through use of Article 20 of the new EU Procurement Directive (Supported businesses can play an important role in generating employment opportunities for workers with sight loss).

Welfare

With new powers over disability and other benefits about to be devolved to Scotland, a valuable opportunity exists to reshape disability benefits to reflect the everyday needs and work capabilities of people with sight loss.

Asks

  • That the eligibility criteria that measure personal independence, mobility and work capability for benefits (eg, Attendance Allowance, Employment Support Allowance, Personal Independence Payment) are designed in consultation with blind and partially sighted people and those organisations that support them.
  • That the frequency of reassessment for benefits for those with severe sight loss is reduced, and that longer-term awards are introduced for those with irretrievable sight loss.
  • That those assessing claimant eligibility for benefits receive training that gives them a clearer appreciation of the difficulties faced by those with different degrees of sight loss.
  • That all blind and partially sighted people in Scotland have access to advice and information to help them to receive the financial support they are eligible for.

Transport

People who are blind or partially sighted rely heavily on public transport. Yet RNIB’s bus campaign report, 'Stop for Me, Speak to Me', found that:

  • nine in ten people with sight loss cannot see an approaching bus in time to hail it;
  • eight in ten people with sight loss say they missed the bus they want;
  • seven in ten missed the bus because it boarded away from the official bus stop.

Bus and coach travel is an affordable means of transport. Unfortunately, people with sight loss regularly experience discrimination in accessing this because drivers have little or no awareness of the needs of disabled passengers. Much of this discrimination could be addressed through good quality disability awareness training for bus and coach drivers.

Rail travel can also play an important part in independent living and mobility. Station layout, design and information announcements can allenhance accessibility. RNIB Scotland members have remarked on improvements in the level of assistance offered to blind and partially sighted rail travellers. It is important that this is maintained over forthcoming major reconstruction such the redevelopment of Queen Street station in Glasgow.

Asks

  • That the Scottish Government anticipates EU legislation on mandatory disability awareness training for all drivers (EU Regulation 181/2011 on the rights of passengers in bus and coach travel) by encouraging Scottish bus companies to provide training for their drivers and support staff.
  • That accessibility is taken into account in rail station redevelopment and that a high standard of assistance for blind and partially sighted passengers is maintained.

Contact us

Royal National Institute of Blind People Scotland

12-14 Hillside Crescent

Edinburgh, EH7 5EA.

Call: 0131 652 3140

Email:

Website: rnib.org.uk/Scotland

Follow us on social media:

  • facebook.com/rnibscotland
  • youtube.com/rnibuk
  • twitter.com/rnibscotland

Registered charity number SC040050

RNIB Scotland registered charity number SCO39316.

This publication is also available in print, audio and braille.