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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.
Retina UK Sight Loss Survey 2025
Retina UK has launched its Sight Loss Survey 2025, and is encouraging anyone living with inherited sight loss to complete it. The charity is particularly keen to hear from a more diverse group, including young adults and those from a variety of ethnic backgrounds.
The information gathered through the Survey is powerful and can influence positive change. Retina UK have used it to develop new support services, raise funds for vital projects and even influence decision makers to make Luxturna, the first treatment for an inherited sight loss condition, available on the NHS.
The survey takes around 40 minutes and can be completed online, or over the phone. For full details, click here.
The closing date for responses is Friday 25 April 2025.
Theatr Iolo raise awareness of Audio Described shows for blind and partially sighted children
To raise awareness of audio description in theatres and to explain to children what an audio described performance will be like, Theatr Iolo have made a short film showing a child enjoying a Touch Tour and an Audio Described show.
Theatr Iolo’s vision is for a society in which all children can feel empowered and inspired. They create theatre shows for children that tour Wales, the UK and internationally. They want all children from babies to teenagers and their adults to trust that their experience of a Theatr Iolo production will be of the highest quality and that they will feel included. For the last six years, Theatr Iolo have focussed on increasing the access services they offer with all productions, to become more inclusive. Through one of these initiatives, they developed their own internal skills and knowledge to develop more audio description services for blind or partially sighted children and their adults.
They have now launched a new film starring Corben, a partially sighted child from Cardiff, who got to experience his first ever Touch Tour and Audio Described performance at the Sherman Theatre in Cardiff recently. You can watch it here. The film will help to prepare children and adults to know what to expect in a Touch Tour and an audio described show and help to spread the word to people who might benefit from this service. It also highlights that Audio Description cannot be heard by other audience members and does not impact their own experience of the show.
To find out more about access at Theatr Iolo shows, visit their website. Their audio described performances are also publicised in Wales Council of the Blind's newsletter, Sylw.
Royal Society for Blind Children launch Welsh Social Group
As part of the National Lottery-funded Eye Connect Cymru project, the Royal Society for Blind Children (RSBC) is starting a Welsh Social Group for vision impaired children and young people across Wales aged 10 to 16 years. The group will meet monthly, via Zoom, on the last Wednesday of the month.
The next meetings are scheduled for 26th February, 26th March and 30th April. You can find out more and book a place for the next session here.
Eye Connect Cymru project is an RSBC Project in collaboration with Wales Council for the Blind and CWVYS (Council for Wales Voluntary Youth). You can find out the project, and the services available from RSBC for families with a vision impaired child, here.
Sight Village Wales 2025 - Booking Open
Sight Village, the exhibition for people with sight loss, their families and professionals, will return to Wales for a one day event on Tuesday, 8th April in Cardiff.
Full details of the free event are now available, including a list of exhibitors. Wales Council of the Blind will be there, as well as other sight loss organisations, specialist education colleges and providers of accessible technology. You can find all the information and book tickets, here.
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To continue receiving news from across the sight loss sector in Wales, please sign up here for our weekly ebulletin Sylw, You can also follow us on Facebook, Threads and Instagram @walesblind. Any organisations who want us to promote their activities should email bec@wcb-ccd.org.uk.