An organisation founded by volunteers

NCBI is an organisation steeped in the tradition of volunteering. It was founded in 1931 by a dedicated group of volunteers led by Alice Armitage, and by 1967 every county in Ireland had its own branch of volunteers supporting the local county worker.

NCBI’s prominence today as a major service provider to vision impaired people was made possible by the partnership between staff and supporting volunteers.
Today volunteers continue to play an important role in NCBI’s work. Their involvement enhances our work, allows us to deliver a broader range of services, raises our profile and extends our network of active collaboration within local communities.

Why volunteer?

People volunteer with NCBI for many different reasons:

• Some people want to learn new skills.
• Others want to make new friends.
• Most are looking for some form of personal satisfaction.
• Some want to gain experience, as they are considering social work or special needs as a career option.
• Many know somebody who was helped by NCBI and want to give something back.

Who volunteers?

Our volunteers come from all walks of life. We embrace diversity and believe each individual volunteer brings with them valuable life experiences.

All you need to apply is a willingness to be of help, some spare time and an open mind.

What do volunteers do?

Good Neighbour Volunteers

These volunteers assist people who have a vision impairment in the community with various tasks. Commitment is 1 – 3 hours per week.

Sighted Guide Volunteers

These volunteers assist and guide people who have a vision impairment on day trips and outings organised by NCBI.

Centre Assistant Volunteers

NCBI has a social club for people who are blind and vision impaired over the age of 70 who live in north Dublin. We are seeking centre assistant volunteers who would be able to compliment NCBI staff in the carrying out of this centre’s activities.

NCBI retail shop volunteers

Shop volunteers assist in the overall operation of a charity shop in their own locality. Find our more about volunteering in one of our NCBI retail shops

NCBI Library and Media Centre Volunteers

There are three different volunteer roles within our library service. They include:

• readers for the production of audio books,
• editors of pre-Braille productions and
• assistants for general library work.

Read more about our library service and our media centre. For more information please contact the library at library@ncbi.ie

How do I become a volunteer?

Please read our volunteer application process

Placing you as a volunteer

Our demand for volunteers varies from time to time. Applying to be a volunteer may not automatically guarantee an immediate placement in a particular volunteer role. If you are accepted as a volunteer we will do our best to arrange a placement as soon as one becomes available.