The RNIB has launched its biggest ever advertising campaign as part of its drive to help people see sight loss differently.
The charity wants to show people how their actions can support its work by sharing the experience of Ava as she struggles to deal with her sight loss diagnosis and emotions.
Ava is a typical teenager, an avid gamer, with dreams of working in technology and has a visual impairment.
Ava is told she has Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) and is distraught. She thinks she cannot face a life with sight loss but her determination, RNIB’s support and the understanding of people around her allow her to realise her dreams and ambitions.
The RNIB campaign video follows Ava on her sight loss journey, including her experiences following the initial diagnosis and the worry and frustration she feels, as she faces a lack of understanding and other challenges.
Promoting the message to “see the person, not the sight loss”, the campaign reminds viewers that blind and partially sighted people can live the lives they want to lead but how others behave – and what they think – can often get in the way.
The campaign material on the RBIB website says: “When more of us understand the realities of sight loss and think about the part we can play in improving the world for people with sight loss, we can make a better world.”
The RNIB outlines how it plays a vital role from the start in Ava’s case, from an Eye Care Liaison Officer ensuring she gets the right support, to all the resources her father starts to access through the charity’s Helpline, as well as the material available for education and learning through RNIB Bookshare.
The website provides guidance on how to approach someone with sight loss and to support them in getting around within buildings and outside. It also examines how to make streets more accessible and inclusive and it encourages employer to hire people with sight loss, noting that only one in four blind and partially sighted people of working age are in employment.
To find out more visit https://www.rnib.org.uk/our-campaigns/see-the-person/
