Eye care for people with learning disabilities
This 2023 policy statement assesses the progress made on access to eye care for people with learning disabilities, and sets out the outstanding calls for reform for everyone with a learning disability. It reflects SeeAbility’s new strategy and the work of its eye care champions.
The news in 2023 that the NHS will rollout its programme in special schools is fantastic. However the policy statement also says there is more to be done.
Reforms in eye care to reduce waiting lists in hospitals, changes to the special educational needs system, and changes to the way health and social care professionals are trained, mean there are lots of opportunities to work towards an ‘Equal Right to Sight’ so people don’t experience avoidable sight loss.
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News item
How I champion an equal right to sight - a blog by Joanne Kennedy, SeeAbility Eye Care Champion
My name is Joanne Kennedy and I work for SeeAbility as an Eye Care Champion in the North West. I'll be honest, before I started my job with SeeAbility, I didn't know very much about eye care at all.
NHS England's Special School Eye Care Service
Based on our research, NHS England has responded by committing in their Long Term Plan to providing a fully funded eye care and glasses service to all special school students.
Eye Care Champions and their Every Day in Focus campaign
Our Eye Care Champions help inform people with learning disabilities of what to expect from eye care services and what reasonable adjustments they are entitled to.