Visually impaired residents of Islington have been explaining to key council and health staff how local services could be improved. <br><br>A series of four meetings, called ‘Changing Views’, were organised by Islington Council, Islington Primary Care Trust and Homes for Islington to find out what visually impaired people think about local health, housing and social services.<br><br>Peter Crotty of N19 said: ‘I found ‘Changing Views’ really useful – I could put my point of view, talk to the people managing the services that I use, but best of all I felt that people were interested in what I had to say. I now hope that after all the time that people have spent going to these meetings that things get better for blind and visually impaired people in Islington.’ <br><br>Councillor Laura Willoughby, executive member for communities said:<br><br>"We want to make Islington an inclusive borough - it's what our 'One Islington' policy is all about. <br><br>Extending consultation to the visually impaired is not only sensible but overdue and a great way of making sure our services are relevant and accessible for all."<br><br>Examples of the initiatives coming out of the Changing Views meetings include:<br><br>· factsheets on antisocial behaviour, repairs and adaptations and ‘tree and garden maintenance’ were produced in tape CD and large print. <br><br>· annual inspections for essential repairs in the homes of visually impaired tenants will be carried out by Homes for Islington<br><br>· facilities for visually impaired people will be available at Social Services’ ‘Islington Outlook’ one of their new service centres.<br><br>· Islington primary care trust have run training sessions for staff about improving services for visually impaired people. Local voluntary organisations ricability and Disability Action in Islington are helping the primary care trust to make information more accessible for disabled people in Islington.<br><br>Editors notes:<br><br>There are about 1500 blind and visually impaired people in Islington<br><br>The Disability Discrimination Act requires that by 2006, local authorities provide information in a format which is accessible to all.
Page Last Updated: 17 December 2009