Help people with sight loss in North Lanarkshire: sign the RNIB petition

The weekly shop has become a bit of a palaver for us all, with panic buying only adding to the drama.
While adhering to the stay home, stay safe advice, RNIB chairwoman Sandra Wilson and her colleagues are urging readers to sign the petition to help people with sight loss.While adhering to the stay home, stay safe advice, RNIB chairwoman Sandra Wilson and her colleagues are urging readers to sign the petition to help people with sight loss.
While adhering to the stay home, stay safe advice, RNIB chairwoman Sandra Wilson and her colleagues are urging readers to sign the petition to help people with sight loss.

But just for a second, close your eyes and imagine trying to find your essentials – minus your eyesight.

There are an estimated 170,000 people in Scotland who have significant sight loss, 34,000 of whom are formally registered as being sight impaired.

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In North Lanarkshire, there are 1063 people on that register.

Usually, supermarket staff locally are happy to escort these customers around the store.

However, with social distancing of two metres now advised, people with sight loss are being left to fend for themselves.

So the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) Scotland has written to the Scottish Government, asking for those with sight loss to be included on the vulnerable people list.

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Sandra Wilson, who has been registered blind since childhood and worked for many years as a careers officer in Fife, is among those campaigning for change.

Now chairwoman of RNIB Scotland, as well as staying home and staying safe in Kirkcaldy, the 71-year-old is working hard to make sure those with sight loss are supported during the current lockdown.

One of the top priorities is ensuring better shopping access, which is why Sandra is calling on people to sign an online petition.

She said: “We want people with sight loss to be included in the government’s vulnerable grouping.

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“This would enable them to be considered for priority slots for online shopping or to continue to shop independently, during the special hours laid aside by supermarkets.

“We have written to the Scottish Government, DEFRA and supermarkets to see if they can get it sorted.

“But we’ve also launched an online petition and are hoping people will support that to show that the public are behind us.”

Managers in the major supermarkets have also been asked to consider some unique solutions to help.

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Sandra explained: “Staff have to observe social distancing so can’t guide people as they did before.

“But someone who can’t see properly could cause mayhem in a supermarket at the moment so we’ve asked them to consider using a cane or running cord.

“We’ve also asked them to consider some sort of phone click and collect service for those who do not use the internet.

“We know measures had to be put in place in haste but, because things happened so quickly, some people have slipped through the net.

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“It is a really worrying time for everyone but trying to get your weekly shop when you have sight loss is causing a lot of distress just now.

“We hope supermarkets and the government will move quickly to help us alleviate these concerns.

“We need a solution soon as people are getting frustrated and stressed.”

RNIB Scotland’s helpline – 0303 123 9999 – has received an increase in calls from those worried about the current pandemic.

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Advisors are on call from 8am to 8pm weekdays and 9am to 1pm on Saturdays to provide information, advice and reassurance.

But the lockdown has only served to increase the social isolation often routinely felt by those with sight loss.

Sandra said: “It’s not as much of an issue for those who have other people in their households.

“But it is for those who are on their own or who have recently lost their sight and don’t yet have the confidence to go out on their own.

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“Social distancing means we can no longer send in our volunteers to help.

“However, we have set up a number of telephone groups which people can drop into for a blether at 11am and 8pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

“It’s a chance to share tips with other people who are in the same situation.”

RNIB Scotland’s website has a wealth of advice but it has also written to businesses and the government, asking for information on their sites to be made available in accessible formats.

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While Covid-19 has created challenges, Sandra believes it may serve to bring people together.

She added: “This is a situation none of us could have envisaged but we’ll get through it, together.

“I got a text from a taxi driver this morning, asking if I was okay. People are now checking in more with friends and neighbours – perhaps that’s a positive we can all take from this.”

Help is just a phone call away

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RNIB Scotland is continuing its work to support blind and partially sighted people across the country during lockdown.

Around 170,000 people in Scotland live with significant sight loss, most over the age of 60 who may have other health conditions too. But 3500 children and young people also have a visual impairment.

And RNIB Scotland is on hand to help them all.

James Adams, the charity’s director, said: “In the current period of uncertainty and confusion it is more important than ever that those who are among the most vulnerable in society still have confidence that they have support.

“First, and most importantly, our helpline is still open on 0303 123 9999 for advice and information and to refer people on to other services.

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“Information on issues of concern to people with sight loss will also continue to be broadcast, as well as entertainment programmes, via our Connect Radio station, available on Freeview 730 or online.

“RNIB’s Talking Book library can also still post or download the thousands of titles we have available in audio and other formats.”

The charity’s eye clinic liaison service, which offers practical advice and reassurance to people coming to terms with sight loss, remains operational, although now being done by phone or email.

Its resource centre, selling aids and equipment, also remains open for orders online, while support in using new technology is available over the phone.

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James added: “We want people with sight loss to know they are not alone and that help is available.”

The RNIB Helpline – 0303 123 9999 – is open from 8am to 8pm weekdays and 9am to 1pm on Saturdays. For more, visit www.rnib.org.uk/scotland.