Seeing beyond disability

Our purpose and aims

SeeAbility's purpose is  to see beyond disability and enable blind and partially sighted people with additional disabilities to achieve their full potential.

We aim to:

• Enable individuals to maintain and develop skills which increase their choice, independence and quality of life
• Increase access to good quality housing and support
• Improve information and accessibility to better eye health care and other services
• Raise awareness of needs and challenge barriers to social inclusion

We believe that each person has the same human value and rights as anyone else and the right to services and community inclusion.

Seeing beyond disability - the facts

• Two million people in the UK are affected by sight loss. Of these, two-thirds have at least one other disability.
• 40% of people with a disability also experience some form of sight loss.
• Sight is our most important sense, our main way of exploring and understanding. People use their eyesight to access information, communicate and observe in order to help make sense of their surroundings. Vision influences every part of life.
• When a person has sight loss and additional disabilities, even the most ordinary everyday tasks present challenges.

SeeAbility - encouraging independence

Our specialist services promote an understanding of the needs of people who use them and are designed to encourage independence and enhance quality of life.

Our services include:

• Assessment
• Supported living
• Rehabilitation for those who are blind or partially sighted 
• Day services
• Research
• Residential and nursing services.

SeeAbility research

Besides providing services to people, we conduct various research projects and publishes documents on areas associated with the needs of blind and partially sighted people.

Recently, we have conducted research into areas including Juvenile Batten's Disease and also the needs of minority ethnic communities who are blind or partially sighted with additional disabilities.

SeeAbility aims to reach more people in 2005-8 by:

• Developing more housing options and support services
• Establishing more community development projects focusing on eye health care
• Continuing to invest in quality
• Promoting the eye 2 eye campaign to improve eye health for disabled people nationwide and build a national advisory service on eye health and related issues