Extra funds for visually impaired people looking for a job

A Yorkshire-based charity for blind people has welcomed its second funding boost from a leading grant-making trust.Henshaws Society for Blind People has been given a £5,000 boost by the Lloyds TSB Foundation for England and Wales.

It is the second instalment of a £15,000 grant awarded to help fund the start-up and running costs of the charity's innovative Skillstep programme in Wakefield.The aim of the course is to provide blind and visually impaired people with the opportunities, skills and confidence they need to reach their true potential in life.

The course has been running in the north west of England for 10 years and more than 80% of Skillstep graduates have already gone onto full employment, further training or volunteering opportunities.Stephen Robinson, Yorkshire manager for the Lloyds TSB Foundation, said: "We agreed to help fund Skillstep in Wakefield because it focuses on the needs of each individual and ensures that throughout the programme the client is enjoying the opportunity to learn and further themselves."Kate Taylor, trusts and grants co-ordinator for Henshaws Society for Blind People, said: "Over 15,600 people in West Yorkshire are registered blind or partially-sighted so we were delighted to be able to introduce the Skillstep programme to Wakefield.]"

The programme is going from strength to strength in helping individuals live a fuller life as well as working to counteract negative assumptions and stereotypes regarding disability in the workplace."Since Skillstep launched in Wakefield last year it has had a significant impact on the lives of local blind and visually impaired people who are currently unemployed and seeking work.Students have enjoyed a wide range of work experience placements in their dream jobs, including West Yorkshire Police and Victim Support.All employers offering work experience receive Henshaws own visual impairment awareness training, which provides a positive model for challenging discrimination against disabled people in the workplace as well as promoting equal opportunities and raising awareness of the potential and needs of visually impaired employees.

In Wakefield, Skillstep will benefit 18 unemployed blind and partially-sighted people from the local community each year.Each participant will start the programme by working closely with the course co-ordinator to design a 12-week learning plan that incorporates their own specific needs and interests.The programme is designed to take visually impaired individuals from a state of low confidence and self-esteem to planning their personal development through further education, training, voluntary work and employment.

Each individual's programme will include some key elements such as mobility training, independent living skills, interpersonal skills, confidence building, information technology training as well as vocational guidance.Throughout 2005 the independent Lloyds TSB Foundation for England and Wales has £22.5 million to distribute to registered charities throughout the UK, including over £1.8 million for charities in Yorkshire.For more information about the Skillstep project in Wakefield visit www.hsbp.co.uk.