Full review of adult vision impairment services to be undertaken in Scotland

Vision Collaborative Scotland will undertake a full review of vision impairment services in the country.

The review comes as the organisation, previously the Scottish Vision Services Steering Group, undergoes a full rebrand.

The organisation, which is made up of third sector organisations including Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) Scotland, Guide Dogs, Sight Scotland, Sight Scotland Veterans, Visibility Scotland and the Thomas Pocklington Trust, hopes the rebrand will serve “a renewed purpose, and an ambitious vision.”

The review, which will begin this autumn, will be titled A Clearer Picture: Mapping Adult Vision Impairment Support in Scotland and will provide an evidence-based overview of community support in the country, Susan Shippey, chair of Vision Collaborative Scotland and the new head of strategic partnerships at Sight Scotland and Sight Scotland Veterans, explained.

Vision Collaborative Scotland hopes the review will offer “a detailed understanding of adult vision impairment services across the country by showing what support exists, where it is provided, who delivers it, and how it is resourced,” Shippey said.

She noted that “the key to meaningful progress lies in both collaboration and listening.”

“I feel both proud and deeply responsible to help guide the direction of our sector at this critical moment,” Shippey said.

She added: “People with vision impairment in Scotland face serious and often complex challenges. Support services are hard to access, and there aren’t enough trained rehabilitation professionals. No single organisation can solve these issues on its own.”

Workforce sustainability and the need to train and retain professionals in vision rehabilitation is another “critical priority,” Shippey said.

She explained that the group will work with the University of Strathclyde to develop a new training programme for rehabilitation workers.

The programme will include a one-year postgraduate certificate and a two-year postgraduate diploma.

It is hoped that the programme will create accessible routes into the vision rehabilitation profession.

This will be assisted by part-funded sponsorships, made available by the RS Macdonald Charitable Trust, which will be open to those who are already working in the Scottish visual impairment sector and looking to enhance their careers.

Shippey added: “The relaunch of Vision Collaborative Scotland is about more than just a new name. It is a renewed commitment to genuine partnership, shared learning and collective action.

“At the heart of our work is the belief that people with lived visual impairment experience must be central to every decision we make. Policy and services cannot be designed in isolation or behind closed doors. Those who use them know better than anyone what works and what does not. Their insight must shape how support is designed, delivered and improved.”