Essex

Thank you for visiting the Essex Sight Loss Council page.

Essex Sight Loss Council officially launched in September 2021.  We meet once a month to discuss our work on projects across our three key priority areas of Employment and Skills, Health and Well-being and Inclusive Communities.

Meet the members 

 

Amy Askew, Engagement Manager for East of England. Amy has long, dark hair and is weating a black dress with green abd pink flowers on it. Amy is stood in front of a large flower arrangement, made up of burnt orange and foliage.

“It is a pleasure and a privilege to work with Essex Sight Loss Council as Engagement Manager for the East of England. In Essex, we advocate for blind and partially sighted people across key areas including health, the built environment, transport and arts and culture.

“Essex is my home county, and I’m passionate about ensuring services are accessible for blind and partially sighted people. Particularly as I, along with many members of my family live with varying degrees of sight loss.

“If you are blind or partially sighted and share this commitment, we’d love to hear from you.  Consider applying to joined Essex Sight Loss Council – we’re always pleased to welcome new members to the cause!”

Amy Askew, Engagement Manager for East England

Why should I volunteer?

If you want to make a real difference in your local area on the issues that affect blind and partially sighted people, joining our Sight loss Council could be the perfect volunteering opportunity for you.

Join us

Lee Mercer, Essex SLC member, is stood on a train platform, holding his long cane. He is wearing his white Sight Loss Council hoodie, wearing a beige coat, and smiling at the camera. A train is in the background at another platform.“Joining Essex Sight Loss Council has given me lots of fantastic opportunities and projects to get involved in that help make real changes across the county.

“I’m so  proud of the work we are doing to help raise awareness and improve the confidence of blind and partially sighted people in our region.”

You will work with policy makers and local service providers to improve access for blind and partially sighted people in your local community. It is also a great opportunity to come together with other blind and partially sighted people in your area.

This is your chance to develop your skills and influence positive change.

Hear from our volunteers about why you should join us

Training and development 

It’s really important to us that you get as much as possible out of volunteering. You’ll receive relevant training and the opportunity to learn and/or enhance your skills. Whether you’re interested in public speaking or honing your social media skills, there’s something for everyone to get involved in.

Stay in the know

If you want to stay up to date with news from the Sight Loss Councils, sign up to our mailing list.

 

 

Our highlights

A striking painting of a sunset over a calm lake. The sky is a dramatic mix of deep blue clouds and warm orange, pink and yellow hues reflecting on the water. A single lamppost stands near the water’s edge, silhouetted against the sky.Essex SLC presents ‘Do You See What I See’ exhibitionEssex Sight Loss Council (SLC) presents an art exhibition called ‘Do You See What I See.’ This is to coincide with the 200th anniversary of Braille and 200 years of... Read more
Colleagues from Thomas Pocklington Trust and Greater Anglia at Colchester station (credit: Greater Anglia)Exhibition on the theme of sight loss at Colchester rail stationExhibition created in partnership with Essex Sight Loss Council and Greater Anglia on the theme of sight loss to help raise awareness at Colchester railway station. To coincide with the... Read more
A male’s hand, holding a magnifying glass over an ancient document, written in script.It belongs in a museum’ – Essex SLC event successOver 36 blind and partially sighted residents across Essex came together to learn more about audio description at Essex Sight Loss Council’s (SLC) ‘‘It belongs in a museum’ event last month. Read more
A bunch of white and yellow balloons, tied together with gold string, held up against bright blue sky.Essex Sight Loss Council celebrates second birthdayEssex Sight Loss Council is celebrating its second birthday and it’s work to create positive change for blind and partially sighted people. Read more
Essex SLC member, Alexander Ramzan, stood outside the front of Chelmsford Museum, with Engagement Manager, Samantha Leftwich.Essex SLC work to make art accessibleEssex Sight Loss Council is working with Chelmsford Museum and Chelmsford Theatre to explore how they can best support blind and partially sighted customers to make art accessible. Read more
A man in a blue jumper reads from a piece of paper using a magnifierEssex Sight Loss Council joins AIS WorkshopLast week, Essex Sight Loss Council attended an Accessible Information Standard (AIS) workshop in Colchester. The workshop was organised by Healthwatch Essex to further embed AIS across health organisations in the area. Read more
A Police Officer stood outside a gate who can now be identified using the new Visual Impairment ProcedureVisual Impairment Procedure launched by Essex PoliceEssex Sight Loss Council worked with Essex Police to develop a Visual Impairment Procedure to help blind and partially sighted people verify police officers at their door. Read more
three parallel images that feature Sam fox beside different speakers at the Essex VI forum‘We are a team’ Essex SLC work together to improve personal safety in EssexSight Loss Council member Samantha Fox has been heavily involved in Essex Sight Loss Council's work to improve blind and partially sighted people's personal safety in Essex. We asked Samantha to tell us more about the Sight Loss Council's work with Essex police and all about the Essex VI Forum.  Read more
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