London charities seeking funding for projects tackling unemployment among blind and partially sighted people have until 1 September to apply for up to £50,000 from the Vision Foundation’s 2021 Vision Fund.

The deadline for the Small Grants programme, which awards up to £10,000, is 15 September.

Although UK job vacancies are at a record high according to figures by the Office for National Statistics, the Vision Foundation’s recently published See My Skills report states that only one in four visually impaired people of working age has a job.

“This isn’t because people with sight loss aren’t able to do almost all the jobs that sighted people do but because prospective employers assume they can’t,” Vision Foundation CEO, Olivia Curno said.

“They may do them differently using specialist technology and admin support – which are available and funded through the Government’s Access to Work scheme - but they do them successfully.”

The 2021 Vision Fund is inviting applications which will address barriers to visually impaired people getting into work.

These may tackle negative perceptions among employers or the public, deliver specific support services such as training, mentoring and job matching or provide technological solutions.

Applications are also encouraged from groups which don’t currently work with the visually impaired community but whose projects could be made accessible and targeted with some development funding.

As well as projects focusing on employment, applications are also invited from those which address other challenges faced by blind and partially sighted people and come under the Vision Foundation’s existing three strategic aims: Opening London up; Empowering those at risk; Preventing avoidable sight loss.

To apply visit: www.visionfoundation.org.uk/our-work/funding/apply-for-funding/

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