Wales Council of the Blind

Wales Council of the Blind logo Wales Council of the Blind logo

Subscribe.

To subscribe to our fortnightly email bulletin (free of charge), please go to our Mailchimp subscription page at http://eepurl.com/dE3CJj

About WCB.

Wales Council of the Blind is the umbrella agency representing vision impairment within Wales. We work to campaign, lobby and support the improvement of services for people with sight loss. [Read more...]

Latest news.

Wales Council of the Blind survey

Wales Council of the Blind wants to hear about your experience with our services and information platforms.

Your responses will help us understand how well our information services meet your needs, and whether our information platforms (Perspectif, Wales Vision Forum, Sylw) are helpful and accessible. This survey should only take a few minutes to complete and we would really appreciate your feedback.

You can give your views here. If you would prefer to complete the survey over the phone, please ring us on 029 20473954.

Accessible Voting in the Senedd Elections on 7th May 2026

RNIB Cymru has provided information on how people with sight loss can vote accessibly in the elections to the Welsh Senedd, which take place on Thursday 7th May 2026.

If you have sight loss and wish to vote, you have a right to request a reasonable adjustment in order to do so independently. The RNIB website has detailed information about voting in the election, including:

  • Key dates for registering to vote and applying for proxy or postal votes
  • How to find contact details for your local Electoral Services/Returning Officer
  • Details of the the adjustments you can request
  • Template letters that can be used to make a request
  • Accessibility on the day (at polling stations)
If you need assistance to make a request, guidance is available by emailing Cath.lewis@guidedogs.org.uk. If you submit a request, RNIB Cymru would like you to email liz.williams@rnib.org.uk so it can monitor accessible voting provision. RNIB Cymru is concerned that far too many blind and partially sighted people will not be able to vote independently and in secret, due to the Welsh Government’s decision not to make an audio device available at polling stations across Wales, and is now encouraging people with sight loss to submit requests for reasonable adjustments through their local electoral service.

You can read RNIB's 'Voting and elections Wales: what you need to know' here.

Sight Loss Council Cymru launch event

Sight Loss Council Cymru was launched officially at an event at the Pier Head building in Cardiff Bay on 12th February.

Jane Hutt AM, Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice opened the event and around 60 people attended. This two-year pilot gives blind and partially sighted people across Wales a powerful platform to share their experiences, influence decisions, and help shape services at every level. You can find out more about Sight Loss Council Cymru by clicking on the tab at the top of this screen, and there is a report on the launch on the Thomas Pocklington Trust website.

Welsh Government publishes Disabled People’s Rights Plan 2025 to 2035

The Welsh Government has published its Disabled People's Rights Plan, a 10-year commitment to making sure disabled people can participate fully and equally in every part of life in Wales.

You can read the Government's announcement here, and read the plan here. In a press release, Disability Wales welcomed the plan but emphasised that 'is vital that the cross-party commitment secured to date follows through beyond the Election to ensure that the demands of disabled people for a more inclusive society in Wales are fully realised.’

Wales Council of the Blind would like to thank members who contributed to the consultation that helped shape the plan.