Charity issues plea to election candidates

A NORTHSIDE-based charity has called on local election candidates to consider the needs of people with sight loss in their election manifestos.

National Council for the Blind of Ireland (NCBI), whose headquarters are in Drumcondra, is the leading sight loss charity in the country.

It is urging candidates to help remove barriers that prevent people who are blind or vision impaired from accessing their local communities independently.

NCBI is calling on the candidates to take on three priorities in their campaigns and during their term of office:

?¢ Enable people with sight loss to access mainstream services,

?¢ Create accessible and inclusive environments that enable people with sight loss to maintain their independence, and

?¢ Ensure that information relating to local authorities is accessible to people with sight loss.

The NCBI said people are living longer and consequently dealing with various related health and disability issues, one of which is age-related sight loss.

It said adapting to sight loss in older age presents unique challenges and has the potential to isolate people as they struggle to navigate their local area, services and facilities independently.

According to NCBI, there were 224,000 people with mild, moderate or severe sight loss in Ireland in 2010. This will increase to almost 247,000 people in 2015 and to just under 272,000 by 2020.

Des Kenny, chief executive of NCBI Group, said that now was the time to plan for changing demographics.

“At local level, there is a huge opportunity for elected representatives to plan for inclusive services, facilities and environments,

? Mr Kenny told Northside People.

“As our population ages, the number of people with sight loss is also increasing and we can choose to plan now to ensure that future needs can be met.

“We are asking candidates to ensure that, during their term of office, people with sight loss have equal access to mainstream services and to ensure that they are not further isolated by communities which make it impossible for them to travel independently.

?

A study published by NCBI and Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind in 2012 showed that more than one third of older people with sight loss never go out in their local area without a sighted guide.

The findings of the National Mobility Study showed that people over the age of 65, many of whom have lost their sight due to age-related eye conditions, report that the poor design of their local environments and public transport were the main obstacles to getting out and about independently.

For more information on the National Council for the Blind Ireland, visit www.ncbi.ie