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Project: Disability Croydon
Organisation: Greater Vision
Area: Croydon
Funding: £10,000
Funding body: Fast Forward Grant
Greater Vision is an innovative service for blind and partially sighted people in Croydon. It was set up to help improve access to employment with a grant of £10,000 from GLE’s Fast Forward Grants programme. The six-month grant allowed the project to train people to use specialist access technology and equipment and has helped raise funds to buy it.
The project supports individuals to sample accessible learning methods via ICT equipment, enabling them to read and use e-mails, websites and other learning materials independently, increasing confidence and supporting their progression to further training and employment. The project also provides basic tuition in Braille, advice on employment, training and education options, and helps facilitate access to services that have previously proved difficult for visually impaired people. By providing structured one-to-one support, the service is tailored to meet the specific needs of each person.
The project’s success and its highly innovative approach have allowed Greater Vision to continue and expand its work by negotiating a one year Service Level Agreement with the London borough of Croydon. This will pay for the costs of extensive project development work by an independent consultant who is herself a visually impaired Croydon resident, and allow the project to continue and develop its work through the local Council.
Greater Vision intends to extend its services to provide more social, educational and vocational options for Croydon’s working-age blind and partially sighted residents, providing participants with any support they require to play an active role in community life, and reducing the likelihood of social exclusion.
The success of this approach is described by David, a current user of the service;
"I am totally blind. Prior to learning about the Greater Vision project, I suffered with depression and anxiety, but since I joined the course, I have regained my confidence and I have been able to enhance my computer skills. In addition to learning about the computer and its speech package, I have learned how to use the scanner which has opened a whole new world to me. It is like regaining my vision. One can only give a big thumbs-up to the Greater Vision project and all who support it. May its support continue so that many others can benefit just like I have".