Other Helpful Organisations
Summary: This fact sheet is designed to give you a brief introduction to the agencies in Ireland, apart from NCBI, who offer a service to people who are blind or vision impaired.
Albinism Fellowship UK and Ireland
Address:
Albinism Fellowship UK and Ireland
PO Box 77
Burnley
Lancashire
BB11 5GN
England
Tel: 086 378 9294
Email: treasaocallaghan1@eircom.net
Website: www.albinism.org.uk
Contact: Treasa O'Callaghan
Anne Sullivan Foundation for Deafblind
Address:
Anne Sullivan Foundation for Deafblind
40 Lower Drumcondra Road
Dublin 9
Tel: 01 830 0562
Email: info@annesullivan.ie
Website: www.annesullivan.ie
Services: The Anne Sullivan Foundation for Deafblind is the Irish national agency for assisting people who are both deaf and blind, and particularly those who are also low functioning. The Foundation has a residential centre in Brewery Road, Stillorgan, Co. Dublin where the daily programme has a substantial educational element but where the dignity and happiness of the residents is of primary importance.
Arbour Hill Braille Unit
Address:
Arbour Hill Braille Unit
Arbour Hill Prison
Dublin 7
Tel: 01 671 9333
Services: To provide a Braille transcription service to individuals and organisations.
Braille Chess Association of Ireland
Tel: 01 407 2300 (office hours)
Email: pdoyle@nationalarchives.ie
Website: www.iol.ie/~vics/bcai
Contact: Philip Doyle
Services: To promote chess among people who are blind or vision impaired and to organise teams to represent Ireland in international chess events.
ChildVision - National Education Centre for Blind Children
Address:
ChildVision
Gracepark Road
Drumcondra
Dublin 9
Tel: 01 837 3635
Fax: 01 836 8403
Website: www.childvision.ie
Services: Pre-school and Early Intervention Service; Primary School; Secondary School; Vocational Training Programme; Residential facilities; Eye Clinic; Family Resource Centre; National Braille Production Centre; Occupational Therapy and Speech and Language Therapy service.
Deafblind Ireland
Address:
Deafblind Ireland
PO Box 33
Longford Post Office
Co. Longford
Email: info@deafblindireland.org
Website: www.deafblindireland.org
Services: Deafblind Ireland is a new organisation being set up by deafblind people, their families and professionals working in this specialist field. It seeks to raise awareness of the unique consequences of the combined loss of sight and hearing and to provide a source of support for people who are deafblind and their families and information and guidance to professionals.
It also seeks to press for greater understanding of the needs and numbers of people in Ireland who live with deafblindness and to press for improvements in provision of assessments and supports.
Féach
Address:
Féach
41 Main Street
Rathfarnham
Dublin 14
Tel: 087 988 0518
Email: feachmail@gmail.com
Website: www.feach.ie
Chairperson: Eithne Walsh
Services: Féach is a parent support group for the parents of children who are blind or vision impaired. The aim of the group is to support the education, training, communication and social needs of children who are blind or vision impaired.
Fight For Sight
Address:
Fight For Sight
4 Parnell Street
Waterford
Tel: 051 878088
Fax: 051 878606
Email: info@fightforsight.ie
Website: www.fightforsight.ie
Services: Fight for Sight aims to prevent loss of sight. It attempts to:
- increase the public's awareness of sight protection by educational means,
- donate diagnostic equipment,
- fund scientific research into eye disease and
- provide a free screening service nationwide for glaucoma.
Fighting Blindness
Address:
Fighting Blindness
1 Christchurch Hall
High Street
Dublin 8
Tel: 01 709 3050
Fax: 01 709 3010
Helpline: 01 674 6496 (Insight Counselling Centre)
Email: info@fightingblindness.ie
Website: www.fightingblindness.ie
Services: To promote and sponsor research in Ireland into the cause and treatment of degenerative forms of sight loss. It aims to keep its members informed of advances in medical research. Counselling is also offered at the Insight Counselling Centre. The Centre offers professional counselling to individuals with vision impairment, their families and significant others.
Internet Radio Directory
Two directories of internet radio stations are now available online. As well as www.blindradio.com, which lists internet radio stations worldwide, www.blindradio.co.uk has been set up as a directory solely for the UK and Ireland. Established by Gerry McGoldrick, an Irish UK-based engineer, in 2003, the directories are designed to be completely accessible to people who are blind or vision impaired. As well as listening live, you can download a file and save it for later.
Irish Blind Golf Society
Tel: 01 450 5237 (evenings)
Email: murray211@eircom.net
Contact: Jimmy Murray
Services: For anyone interested in learning golf or renewing an interest in the game, full coaching facilities are available to golfers who are blind or vision impaired at the Spawell Golf Centre, Templeogue, Dublin. It is also the intention of the Irish Blind Golf Society to organise groups of interested people at various locations throughout Ireland such as Cork, Galway, Sligo and Donegal.
Irish Blind Sports
Address:
1 Christchurch Hall,
High Street,
Dublin 8.
Tel: 085 850 0193
Email: pam@ibsports.ie
Website: www.ibsports.ie
Contact: Pam Robinson
Services: To facilitate people who are blind or vision impaired to participate in sports and recreational activities of their choice.
Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind
Address:
Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind
National Headquarters and Training Centre
Model Farm Road
Cork
Tel: 021 487 8200 or LoCall: 1850 506 3000
Fax: 021 487 4152
Email: info@guidedogs.ie
Website: www.guidedogs.ie
Services: Provides training in the use of a guide dog; sources and trains potential guide dogs; long cane orientation and mobility training is also provided.
Kerry Education Service - Braille and IT Unit
Address:
Braille and IT Unit
Kerry Education Service
Moyderwell
Tralee
Co. Kerry
Tel: 066 718 6883
Services: A full-time course is available in computer processing, independent living skills and personal development.
Macular Impairment Support and Togetherness (MIST)
Address:
Macular Impairment Support and Togetherness (MIST)
Adara
Crossthwaite Park West
Dun Laoghaire
Co Dublin
Tel: 01 280 9895 or 01 494 7396
Email: beazles@indigo.ie
Contact: Rosemary Smyth
Services: To provide support, advocacy and social / recreational activities to people with macular degeneration.
National Association of Housing for Visually Impaired Ltd.
Address:
National Association of Housing for Visually Impaired Ltd.
33 Moatfield Road
Artane
Dublin 5
Tel: 01 843 4818
Email: info@nahvi.ie
National League of the Blind
Address:
National League of the Blind
21 Hill Street
Dublin 1
Tel: 01 874 2792 or 01 874 5827
Fax: 01 878 7139
Email: nlbitrust@eircom.net
Website: http://nlbit.wordpress.com/
Services: Aims to protect the employment conditions of its members and provide trade union facilities. Promotes the rehabilitation, training, employment and welfare of people with vision impairments. It also runs a social club.
St Mary's Centre Telford Ltd
Address:
St Mary's Centre Telford Ltd
185 / 201 Merrion Road
Dublin 4
Tel: 01 269 3411
Fax: 01 269 8868
Email: br@stmarysblind.ie
Services: To provide residential accommodation for women who are vision impaired.
Visiting Teacher Service
Address:
Visiting Teacher Service
Department of Education and Science
Special Education Section
Cornamaddy
Athlone
Co. Westmeath
Tel: 01 873 4700 (Central Line in Dublin) / 0902 873 4700
Fax: 0902 76939
Services: The Department of Education and Science operates a visiting teacher service for children with vision impairments. Each visiting teacher is responsible for a particular region. The visiting teacher provides advice and support to parents and classroom teachers about teaching children with impairments.
Visually Impaired Computer Society of Ireland (VICS)
Email: chairperson@vicsireland.org or secretary@vicsireland.org
Website: www.vicsireland.com
Chairperson: Joan Ann Brosnan
Secretary: Dr Esmond Walsh
Services: To promote and advise on the development of accessible computer technology to people with vision impairments; to promote the use of computers among people with vision impairments and to endorse employment opportunities in the area of computers. VICS has also set up a computer-training course for its members.