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Living well with my condition

Who may be involved?

The rehabilitation officer, known as the Vision Rehabilitation Specialist (VRS).

Local and national sight loss organisations. https://walesvisionforum.org.uk/support-from-other-organisations

What can I expect from registration and what support is available from my Local Authority (Council)?

You can be registered as Sight Impaired or Severely Sight Impaired. If you gave consent, this should follow on from receiving a Certificate of Vision Impairment. Remember, you can still get the following support even if you are not Registered. You would need, first of all, to have a What Matters conversation with the social services department of your local authority.

Right to assessment - the What Matters conversation.

If you request support from your local authority Social Services department, they would normally run a check with you in the form of what is sometimes called a What Matters conversation. The purpose of this is to check your eligibility for support and what kind of support would be beneficial to help you achieve independent living - that is to say, the support necessary for you to live as independently as possible given your particular circumstances. 

The local authority has a duty to conduct this assessment if you request it. If you are having difficulties arising from your sight, they should refer you to ther Sensory Team or similar, where a Vision Rehabilitation Specialist will conduct a further assessment of your needs.  

What is vision rehabilitation and how can it help me?

Vision rehabilitation is a period of training delivered by Vision Rehabilitation Specialists. It is designed to help people with sight loss maintain their independence through relearning practical and mobility skills. 

You can find your local specialist at Perspectif: https://perspectif.org.uk

I’ve been put on a waiting list for vision rehabilitation. What can I do to help myself in the meantime?

You might find it useful to maintain contact with your local society for people with sight loss. They often have advice and support services to help you to cope while you are waiting. They may be able to provide you with advice on matters such as retaining employment, welfare benefits, and managing money. They often work in tandem with the rehabilitation officer, so it is quite ok to be approaching them as well as the VRS.

What support is available locally and nationally for me?

You can get support in a number of forms. It could be anything from counselling, information about your eye condition, to simply having a place to go to chat with people in a similar situation to yours. You can go to the Support Pages in the menu to start your search for the kind of help you might need.

What benefits may be available to me?

This is a summary of the benefits and concessions available in Wales. Not all require a Certificate of Vision Impairment (CVI), but to become Registered as Sight Impaired or Severely Sight Impaired, you must have a CVI. Make sure that you request one at the clinic or (for certain conditions, at the high street optometrist) if your visual acuity and visual field are below certain levels. More information about eligibility criteria is available at the RNIB website.

Persons certified as Severely Sight Impaired (SSI) may be able to benefit from:

Persons certified as Sight Impaired (SI) or Severely Sight Impaired (SSI) may be able to benefit from: 

If you are certified as SI or SSI you may choose to identify as a ‘disabled person’. As such, you are protected under the Equality Act 2010. As a Disabled Person you may be able to benefit from:

(Please note that this information is for guidance only and is not an authoritative statement of the law.)

For detailed information on these concessions, contact the RNIB Helpline: 0303 123 9999 or say, “Alexa, call RNIB Helpline” to an Alexa enabled device.

The RNIB Helpline is available anytime from 8am-8pm on weekdays and 9am-1pm on Saturdays.