We want to support people with a visual impairment to get out and about on their own terms, reducing isolation and community disconnect.
Every day, thousands of people in Birmingham have to live with the devastating effects of sight loss. There are over 27,000 adults who are registered blind or partially sighted living in the city, a figure which is set to double by 2050.
And the physical loss of sight is just the start – figures show that suffering from a visual impairment leads to depression, loneliness and feeling excluded from society.
Nationally, over 40% of visually impaired people suffer from depression and over 50% of people with sight loss report feeling lonely, isolated and cut off from the people and things around them.
“It’s not just sight loss you suffer, it’s a countless multitude of losses. As well as losing your sight, you also lose people in your life.” (Kevin, from Birmingham)
We at New Outlook housing association in Birmingham are determined to tackle this problem head on.