Bury Blind Society
| Published: 3rd June 2008 14:41 |
The Bury Blind Society offers a wide range of services to help people who are visually impaired.
Amongst the services offered are:
A Comprehensive Resource Centre
Hundreds of items of specialised and adapted equipment are available to help visually impaired people with daily living, both inside and out of the home.
Drop In Centre
The Bury Blind Society has a Drop In Centre where people can call in for a drink and chat with others.
Information Home Visits
Visits are available to advise visually impaired people living in the Bury area about the services that are available to them.
Advice and Information
In addition to the wide range of leaflets that are available at the Bury Blind Society, a service is also offered whereby assistance can be given with completing forms for benefit applications.
Befriending Service
Volunteers are recruited and trained by the Bury Blind Society to be placed with visually impaired people who need help in a number of ways.
These can range from simply being a friend to helping with shopping or correspondence.
Hospital Information Service
Learning from an Opthalmologist at the Hospital Eye Clinic that nothing can be done for an eye condition is a devastating blow and the recipient of this news becomes extremely anxious.
A word of reassurance from one of the Bury Blind Society's Hospital Information staff can often help to alleviate this anxiety and can lead to other areas of help that are available through the Society.
Library Services for the Visually Impaired
All libraries within the Borough of Bury contain a facility for visually impaired people.
Both the libraries and the Bury Blind Society's Resource Centre provide information in all accessible formats such as large print, audio tape or braille.
Daily living skills
The Bury Blind Society can help newly registered blind and partially sighted people to learn how to adapt and cope with daily tasks in the home so that they can maintain their independence.
This service is carried out in conjunction with Social Services.
Blind Awareness Training
Most people who have the gift of sight find it difficult to comprehend the problems faced by visualy impaired people.
The Bury Blind Society's Blind Awareness Training is designed to show that, with support, visually impaired people can cope remarkably well. Group sessions demonstrating guiding techniques and practising everyday tasks with the help of specialised equipment show that much can be achieved.
This training is not only given to volunteers with the Society but is also offered to groups of people in the public and private sector who come into contact with visually impaired people.
Regular Social Activities
To help overcome the issue of loss of social contact that often occurs with visual impairment, monthly and annual social gatherings are organised by the Society to bring visually impaired people together. This provides the opportunity for social interaction whilst enjoying refreshments and being entertained.
How You Can Support the Bury Blind Society
Volunteers are needed to carry out a number of roles within the Society.
Financial support can be provided in a number of ways. You can donate directly to the Society, leave a legacy in your will, or support the fundraising events that are organised by the Society, details of which can be found in the 'What's On' and Calendar sections of this website.
For further information please contact Debbie Gregory, Fundraising Co-ordinator on 0161 763 7014 or by e-mailing debbie@buryblindsociety.org.
If you're interested in becoming a volunteer for the Bury Blind Society, and would like to find out more about the opportunities available within the Society, please contact Debbie Gregory on 0161 763 7014 or by e-mailing debbie@buryblindsociety.org.
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