Family Support Service

This service offers one to one support for the whole family; help with coping with a diagnosis; help to access practical support; and support for your child's development.

Access Unlimited

A gateway to RSBC services in Wales: Employment; Assistive Technology; Family Support; Information and Advice; Activities. In partnership with North Wales Society for the Blind, Vision Support, Wales Council of the Blind, Council for Wales of Voluntary Youth Services Council, Boys and Girls Clubs of Wales.

Audio Book Club

Join us on Zoom as we listen to different audio books with other Visually Impaired (VI) young people from all over the UK! You can listen to books of your choice in the comfort of your space, have a chance to meet new people & make new friends as we have discussions, quizzes, and create your own audiobook sessions around the chosen book. Once we finish a book, we also hold exciting nominations and vote in time for the book reveal session. Audio book club is at a regular time of 5pm-6pm every Monday and Thursday for children and young people between the ages of 8-25.

Sisterhood

Sisterhood is a fantastic online group for young women aged 11 –25 to come together and discuss issues that are important to them. It’s a chance to discuss anything from mental health and wellbeing to hair care and make up. It’s a lovely supportive group that meets Tuesdays fortnightly online.

Bright Beginnings

Our exciting weekly online early years group for parents who have a blind or partially sighted baby or child between 0-4 years old. These drop ins run every Monday from 1pm till 2pm virtually on zoom. In these sessions you can expect to see: a range of different activities each week from sensory stories to messy play and music sessions for you and your little ones to participate in; an opportunity to chat with/meet other parents and families; the chance to participate in useful discussions about practical concerns with some guest hosts.

Creative

We hold regular online and hybrid sessions for children and young people of any age up to 25 to come together and share their creative passion. Whether you enjoy music, playing an instrument, singing, poetry, drama, or creative writing you can join our sessions and meet others who share your interests. Online Gaming: We hold regular online gaming sessions for children and young people to come together and have some fun gaming together. Open to any children and young people up to age 25, why not come and join and meet others whilst playing online.

Moving On Up

If you’re in Year 6 and you want to share your thoughts and chat to others who, like you, will be moving to Year 7 in September, then why not join our Moving on Up Group! As well as the other young people, our Family Practitioners will be on hand to answer your questions and help you work through the move. This Group will give you the chance to talk about your thoughts and feelings, help you work through them and help boost your confidence before September! The sessions are fun, and enjoyable but they will also offer you a safe space to talk to others and to the RSBC’s Family Practitioner.

Connecting Families

We hold monthly evening group sessions for parents and carers of vision impaired children and young people (0-25 years) which are facilitated by our team of RSBC Family Practitioners. It’s a supportive group where you will learn from the experiences of other parents and carers and in turn be able to support others with your own experiences and stories. Each month there will be a new topic covering many of the milestones and issues which parents and carers might face. It’s a safe place to share your feelings knowing others will support you. What to expect: Peer support; Empowering each other; Learning about and understanding mental health and well-being; Sharing knowledge and experience; Discussing the challenges of raising a child with a vision impairment; Open advice forum – no question is too big or too small.

RSBC Youth Forum

The RSBC youth forum is a group of blind and partially sighted young people aged between 16 and 25. We are committed to creating positive change and championing the voices of blind and visually impaired young people, as well as influencing all areas of work across RSBC. The youth forum works to raise awareness and challenge perceptions of visually impaired young people. We aim to represent their views and opinions, highlight the issues that affect them, and make sure we’re doing our best to influence those who can push for change and bring about improvements in services at both RSBC and external organisations. The youth forum meets online and in person, and meets regularly with trustees and staff across RSBC, to ensure that the voices of blind and visually impaired young people are at the forefront of driving the charities services and engagement.

RSBC Assistive Technology sessions

If you want to feel empowered and knowledgeable about the world of technology, then join our Accessible Technology sessions. Our Senior Accessibility Advisor Alex can provide support with using a wide range of devices such as smart phones, computers, tablets, braille readers and much more. They can also offer support in how everyday devices can be used to support blind and partially sighted people in areas including travel, finances, wellbeing and fitness, independent living and school. You can arrange a personal session online with Alex, designed just for you, or you and your family. We also run a range of group workshops online. All sessions last between 1 and 1.5 hours and can be arranged at a date and time of your convenience.

RSBC Futures

RSBC’s “Futures” service is a bespoke service for young people 13-25 and there to support you as you start to make plans for your future. You may already know what you want to do in the future - seeking paid employment, becoming a volunteer, running your own business, taking up an apprenticeship, going onto further or higher education, or perhaps you aren’t sure yet what you’d like to do? At RSBC our “Futures” service can be your side to guide and support you as you start to make those plans. RSBC has links with partners that mean you have the best possible opportunities to build your own skills, knowledge, experience and of course confidence. Perhaps you need support with really practical things such as Access to Work (link), mobility for your route to work or college, or applying for Personal Independence Payment (PIP). We can help with these areas too, which can sometimes feel confusing and hard to find support for. You may be a family member of a young person trying to access some information or support alongside your young person. We understand that sometimes information about the support available for blind and partially sighted young people can be difficult to access. Through the Futures service you can access one to one session with our team, get support and share ideas with other young people, get practical support with CV writing, work placements or experience and really build your confidence to take the next steps in your future. We will make sure that we support your personal aspirations and look after your wellbeing. So, whether you are making choices about your GCSE subjects, starting to think about your next steps in education, or planning your career or volunteer role, our Futures service can help you reach your goals and aspirations.