Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for vision-impaired ex-Service men and women, helps working age veterans live independently and to find employment through their vital Working Age Rehabilitation Program which has been given a boost from funding by Specsavers.
Sight-loss can leave veterans feeling alone, scared and dependent on others. Blind Veterans UK’s Working Age Rehabilitation Program supports and rehabilitates blind veterans.
Over the course of five-days, veterans of working age are supported to develop vital independent living skills which will hopefully lead to them accessing, obtaining and remaining in employment but the course is not just about employment, veterans are also encouraged and supported to set personal goals and revisit hobbies or explore new ones.
Glynis Gillam, Working Age Member Case Manager at Blind Veterans UK says: “Each veteran is different and their sight-loss journey is unique. Through a series of group and one-to-one sessions and presentations we help them achieve their individual goals.”
77 of our veterans have been supported specifically through our Working-Age Rehabilitation Program over the last 12 months.
Blind veteran Jill Humphries is an ex-nurse; she served for four years in the Army with the Queen Alexandra Nursing Corps and continued her nursing career after she was discharged. She says:
“Nursing is such a meaningful role and I felt guilty when I was no longer in paid employment. I wanted to be able to support myself but also to feel a part of something and to be useful.
“I’ve been on the course myself and due to the confidence it gave me, I’m now doing an apprenticeship with the charity supporting the Working Age Members group. I get to see for myself the huge difference in the veterans by the end of the week.
“The course isn’t all about getting back into work, each veteran is treated as an individual and for some it is about building their confidence and increasing their independence by setting goals to revisit an old hobby, that they thought was now not possible due to sight loss, or to start a completely new one. Sometimes this step is vital before a veteran can feel ready to start on the journey back into employment.
“I hope that through the course, and now my apprenticeship, I will build up my CV and show that I’m motivated and employable.”
Rob Loseby served in the Army with the 9th/12th Royal Lancers for 25 years having joined at 16 straight from school. It was after he had already left that he noticed something was wrong with his sight.
He says:
“I was 49-years-old at the time, I walked into the hospital on the advice of the chemist and was told there and then that my optic nerve was dying and I could lose all my sight in my right eye at any time and my left eye was also at risk.
“I have fought, with the support of Blind Veterans UK, to stay in employment throughout. Through the Working Age Rehabilitation Program, I’ve learnt about reasonable adjustments, access to work legislation and technology that was available to me in the workplace. With this knowledge I have had the confidence to apply for jobs and I’ve not let my lack of vision hold me back.
“It’s not a case of not being able to do something because I’m blind. Companies are not employing me for my eyesight, they are employing me for my brain. By having me in the workforce, I can look at problems differently to someone who has sight and with that often comes different solutions.”
The support provided by Specsavers has helped the charity to fund the program and continue to offer this support to blind veterans.
Marc Breton, Senior PR Manager for Specsavers, says:
“Specsavers is committed to changing lives through better sight and hearing and has partnered with Blind Veterans UK for over ten years.
“We’re proud to support their Working Age Rehabilitation Program, in order to help veterans overcome some of the challenges they face with sight loss.”
Blind Veterans UK supports thousands of blind veterans across the country, but knows there are many thousands more who still need its support to rebuild their lives after sight loss.
If you, or someone you know, served in the Armed Forces, including National Service, and are now struggling with sight loss, then please get in touch. Call 0800 389 7979 or visit: blindveterans.org.uk/gethelp
