How your donations are making a difference

None of Vision Foundation’s work would be possible without the generosity and kindness of our supporters. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for your unwavering support, but also to update you on how your donations are making a difference.

Our work supporting visually impaired victims of domestic abuse

In October 2022, we launched our report and fundraising campaign, The Unseen. The report is the first ever research into the shocking scale and nature of domestic abuse experienced by blind and partially sighted people and revealed that 1 in 12 visually impaired people in the UK is estimated to be a victim of domestic abuse.

You may remember Esme, who featured in the campaign and bravely shared her own story of domestic abuse as a blind person. Esme eventually found the help she needed and has since gone on to transform her life, most recently joining the team at GlobalEyes, working on community outreach projects. But there are so many other visually impaired people like Esme who cannot access the right support or facilities to help them transform their own lives.

Thanks to your incredible generosity, we raised over £60,000 from our Christmas Appeal and Big Give Challenge, raising donations to provide victims and survivors of domestic abuse with the support and safety they desperately need. This means we can begin our vital work addressing the devastating issues that are affecting blind and partially sighted victims of domestic abuse, as well as transforming services so they can support every visually impaired person effectively. From training frontline services to recognise the signs of abuse and providing safe, confidential spaces to report it, to ensuring refuges are open and accessible to blind and partially sighted people.

As we move into the next phase of this important work, we will be able to dedicate more resources into uncovering and tackling the hidden issues blind and partially sighted people face each day. Hand in hand with this, we will continue to fund projects in the heart of local communities:

• Lunch clubs for blind and partially sighted people to attend
• Supporting young visually impaired people from education as they enter employment
• Enabling audio described theatre performances
• Running mentoring schemes and employment workshops

Your support means we can continue to fund these essential, life-changing services for those living with sight loss. Please make donation to support our work here. It really does make a difference.