Home
News
Priority projects respond to Listening Month findings

Priority projects respond to Listening Month findings

Sight Loss Councils (SLCs) have prioritised street accessibility and public transport as their priority national projects for 2023-24, in response to findings in the new Listening Month report.

Thomas Pocklington Trust’s Listening Month report, published today, brings together evidence about the concerns of blind and partially sighted people. Together, we captured this evidence as part of our nationwide Listening Month 2022 campaign.

SLCs are also running an additional local project which responds to the individual needs of their area. These are focused on health, arts and culture, sports and leisure, or retail.

Read the full Listening Month report (pdf)

Read the full Listening Month report (word)

About Listening Month

In November 2022, Thomas Pocklington Trust and Sight Loss Councils launched Listening Month, a major project to learn about the experiences of blind and partially sighted people.

Through an online survey, face-to-face engagement events, and other channels, the initiative gathered feedback on matters that are important to this community. A total of 1,037 blind or partially sighted individuals shared their experiences and opinions.

Listening month key findings

The report highlights the key challenges faced by blind and partially sighted individuals. These include:

accessibility of the street environment
public transport
awareness of visual impairment
employment and benefits
personal confidence and social isolation
accessibility of retail and other services
accessibility of technology
health and care
education and learning.

Mike Bell, Head of Public Affairs and Campaigns at Thomas Pocklington Trust, said: “Our Listening Month project and this report on its findings helps us to better understand the priorities of blind and partially sighted people and the issues that we need to focus our energies on changing.

“During this project, we heard from more than 1,000 people about their experiences and lives, and about the change they want to see. Together with the network of Sight Loss Councils, and our partners in other organisations, we are campaigning to create a perfect world for blind and partially sighted people. This report gives us more evidence to support this work.”

Thomas Pocklington Trust and Sight Loss Councils have used this research to guide project planning for the coming year. This includes identifying priority campaigns, and focussing policy and influencing work on the key challenges identified by blind and partially sighted people.

We are also making this report available to a range of partners and organisations so that the findings can influence change on the widest possible basis.