LOCAL MP FOCUSES ON PLIGHT OF BLIND IN POVERTY

12.47.12pm UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 5th Mar 2004

David Chidgey MP at the RNIB and British Gas Event

David Chidgey, Liberal Democrat MP for Eastleigh, has further demonstrated his commitment to ending the isolation and social exclusion of older blind and partially sighted people in Eastleigh. He participated in the launch of a report by the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) and British Gas into the problem facing hundreds of thousands visually impaired individuals.

The 'Unseen' report commissioned for the 'here to HELP' programme, an alliance between local authorities and charities aimed at improving the lives of families, older people and people with disabilities to some of Britain's most disadvantaged areas, aims to improve the quality of life for disadvantaged groups in the UK. The report is based on the first national survey focusing exclusively on the quality of life experienced by older people who lose their sight.

David Chidgey said:

"I am appalled at how many people with sight problems are excluded from every day life. There is a lack of support services available to people as well. The 'here to HELP' initiative is an important program which will make a valuable difference to people's lives in terms of support, equipment to aid mobility, and quality of life checks. It is important that everyone is aware of the benefits they are entitled to."

The RNIB is calling for urgent measures to address the problem to ensure that every person suffering from sigh loss receive assessment of needs in addition to a certain amount of training. According to the RNIB, blind and partially sighted people are one of the more disadvantaged people in the country, demonstrated by the report where 73% of the people interviewed for the report were living in poverty.

ENDS