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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.
Accessible Voting in the Senedd Elections on 7th May 2026
On Thursday 7th May, there is a Senedd (Welsh Parliament) Election in Wales, where voters will choose their next Welsh Government and Members of the Senedd. You have a right to request a reasonable adjustment to vote in the Senedd election and RNIB Cymru is encouraging people with sight loss to write to their local Returning Officer (who is responsible for running elections in your area) or local electoral services as soon as possible, to tell them that you require reasonable adjustments in order to vote independently.
People living in the Cardiff, the Vale of Glamorgan and parts of Bridgend should note that that they will automatically be able to use an RNIB Accord player to vote at the polling station. All they need to do is ask for it and they can use it alongside a tactile voting device. The Accord player was tested during the RNIB Cymru and Welsh Government voting trials, and overall it was the preferred audio voting device out of the three that were tested. We recommend that those living in Bridgend check with their local electoral services to see if their polling station will have an Accord Player. For those living outside of the Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan areas, they will need to request an audio device if they want one. RNIB Cymru have posted a video to their socials which is a demo of how to use the Accord, which you can access on Instagram and Facebook.
The RNIB website contains template letters that can be used when you make your request to your local Returning officer, together with other information about voting in the Senedd election.
To find out your local electoral services’ contact information, you can use the Electoral Commission’s postcode look up tool. Enter your postcode in the “My next election” section, and then scroll down on the page that comes up to the section titled “Your local council” which shows the address and email contact that you need. When you get in touch it’s important to provide your full name, address, and postcode.
If you submit a request, it would be appreciated if you could let RNIB Cymru know by emailing Liz Williams, liz.williams@rnib.org.uk as this will help them to know which Councils have been contacted, so they can follow up and monitor accessible voting provision.
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.
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.