UK Charity RNIB Reportedly Cutting Technology Support Service

The UK sight loss charity RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People) is facing major financial losses and is looking to save around £10 million, leading to staff redundancies. Of particular concern is the potential reduction or removal of the Technology For Life team, which provides support for blind and low vision people to learn how to use technology like phones and computers.

Steven Scott spoke to Rachel Bowden, a member of the UK voluntary organisation Eye Matter, who has started an online petition to save RNIB’s Technology For Life team from cutbacks. Rachel highlights the importance of this service in helping visually impaired people lead independent lives and stay connected in the digital age. She details the impact of the potential cuts on the community and questions RNIB’s decision to target this essential service.

Double Tap contacted RNIB for a statement and this was their response:

“RNIB has launched our new strategy with ambitious 10-year goals that focus on the areas that will most transform life for blind and partially sighted people. At the same time, all charities are facing challenges with the impact of inflation, which is leading to an increase in costs. While RNIB’s income is stable, we’ve been using our reserves to support a planned deficit for this financial year, but this isn’t a long-term solution. We plan to spend the next 6 months working on a new structure and ways of working to ensure RNIB is fit for the future. Alongside this transformation planning, there are some ongoing changes affecting some teams within RNIB which sits outside the transformation programme. This work has been ongoing for the past year and is now reaching the final stages. We recognise the concern these changes may mean for our staff, and we will be supporting them through this time of change. We want to build an RNIB for the future, and to continue to invest in the things that matter most to blind and partially sighted people.”

Rachel encourages listeners to support the cause by signing the petition and shows the power of grassroots activism in advocating for essential services for the blind and visually impaired community. Listen to the full report via our audio player on this page.