Greater London Fund for the Blind
Improving the lives of blind people

Living Independently

Maintaining your independence and still being able to do things for yourself is vitally important to many blind and visually impaired people.

Sarah and Gillian are both in their early teens and attend Bromley Sight Centre (which is supported by your donations) where they are taught new techniques such as chopping, spreading, rolling and mixing. Gillian now makes her own sandwiches and Sarah has achieved a real breakthrough by slicing celery, apples and grapes safely and correctly to make a Waldorf salad.

These classes were especially important for Sarah as her parents used to do everything for her, resulting in her using her fingers rather than a knife and fork to eat meals. The classes have greatly boosted the girl’s confidence and independence and they have become great friends.

Jim was a very active man until he lost his sight and his job a few years ago. He describes the problems he faced and explains how one of our members helped to rebuild his confidence and independence.

‘From always being on the go and being the family provider I wasn’t even able to choose my own clothes. I hated going to friends to since I would drop my food and make a mess.

‘My whole world as I knew it was taken away and I was left living in a dark world of my own. Blindness is an absolute nightmare and it can tear you apart.

‘Thanks to the training I’ve received, I have learnt how to use a computer with speech software and hope that someone will still recognise my abilities and offer me a job so that I can once again prove to be useful. I still have so much to offer.’

Your donations help to fund these vital training courses and equipment that help blind and partially sighted people to live as independently as possible.