National and international organisations and websites that offer support, resources, and ideas for children with vision impairments.

General

Amber Trust

National charity that supports musical aspirations of blind and partially sighted children by paying for: 

  • music lessons 
  • music therapy
  • instruments
  • software
  • concert tickets

Guide dogs

A national charity that offers 

  • family support
  • education support
  • access technology and grants
  • guide dogs
  • movement matters
  • recreational activities
  • buddy dogs

Look

National federation of families with visually impaired children. 

They offer:

  • a helpline
  • events
  • magazine
  • a youth project and forum

MACS

A national charity for children born without eyes or underdeveloped eyes.

They offer:

  • Emotional support for children, young people and families
  • National and regional events

RNIB 

A national charity that offers 

  • information for parents
  • advice on education and training
  • reading and learning products
  • activities and family events
  • accessible learning
  • an online magazine 

Scottish Sensory Centre

The Scottish Sensory Centre: 

  • provides user-friendly information on a wide range of eye conditions
  • runs courses
  • has a library of research papers

Sense

National charity that offers information and support about complex sensory and communication needs, including providing holidays and short breaks for children.

Sight Support West of England

Sight support West of England support blind and partially sighted people across Bristol, Bath, South Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.

They offer 

  • information and advice
  • technology support
  • sport activities
  • emotional and practical support for families of children with sight loss

The Royal Society for Blind Children

The Royal Society of Blind Children offers a range of services including:

  • emotional support and practical advice for families
  • opportunities for children and young people to build confidence and skills through activities
  • a specialist further education college

VICTA

National charity that offers 

Early years

Little Bear Sees

A website for families with children who have CVI. They provide information, ideas, guidance and an app to encourage use of vision.

Paths to Literacy

An American website focussing on literacy and emergent literacy for blind and severely visually impaired students. It's full of ideas and information and covers a huge range of secondary topics for parents. Lots of tactile ideas.

WonderBaby

An American website aiming to help parents of young children with visual impairments and children with multiple disabilities. 

It provides a database of articles written by parents who want to share with others what they've learned about playing with and teaching a blind child. It also includes links to resources. Full of great ideas.

Reading

Calibre Audio

Calibre Audio provides a wide choice of full-length books for children and young people available to borrow as audio books.

ClearVision

A postal lending library of younger children's books designed to be shared by visually impaired and sighted children and adults. Free to families.

Cue and Review

Cue and Review provides national magazines on tape, including five teenage titles with an emphasis on music.

Guide Dogs CustomEyes books

A service making books in whatever size and font is needed. It has a huge range of books for all ages of children. 

Membership is free and books are produced at a reasonable cost.

Living Paintings

A national charity that provides pictures that can be "felt" with audio commentary. This includes popular children's books. Membership is free.   

RNIB bookshare

This UK charity: 

  • provides textbooks, fiction and other learning materials to support the UK curriculum
  • offers a range of accessible formats that can be read electronically or adapted to suit the personal reading needs of learners

Free to schools and families.

RNIB library

A lending library from the RNIB that provides books in large print, braille and as talking books. Free to registered users.

Sports and arts

British Blind Sport

National charity for children and adults with sight loss in the UK.

They offer:

  • taster days for accessible sports
  • advice for making sports accessible

Bristol City Football Club: Visual Impairment football sessions

They offer:

  • free weekly youth VI football sessions for ages 5 to 16 of any footballing ability at Imperial sports ground (BS14 9EA on Tuesdays 5-6pm)
  • adult sessions (18+) same venue and contacts 6pm to 7pm

All Cycle Bath and West

They offer:

  • inclusive cycling sessions for all ages and abilities
  • regular Tuesday sessions, and fortnightly Saturday sessions, held at Odd Down cycle circuit, as well as group sessions

Ignite Bristol

They offer:

  • a directory of inclusive sport and other activities

Tyntesfield: National Trust sensory walks

They offer:

  • an interactive tour around Tyntesfield for visually impaired individuals and a companion

UCAN Productions

A performance and creative arts charity for blind and partially sighted children/young people/adults and their friends.

They offer:

  • drama and music activities
  • opportunities to gain Arts Awards
  • self-advocacy support

Contact us
Sensory Support Service
Elmfield House
Greystoke Avenue
Westbury-on-Trym
BS10 6AY

Phone: 0117 903 8442
Text: 07407 814 763
Email: sensorysupportservice@bristol.gov.uk