Sight loss is a significant social issue in the UK, current DoH (2008) figures show that there are 156,000 people registered as blind. This number however, pales into insignificance when the total number of people with a serious sight loss is considered - the RNIB estimates that over 2 million people in the UK have a serious sight loss and MENCAP adds that 500,000 of its clients could technically be registered as blind.
The group of professionals who deliver services to people with a visual impairment (Rehabilitation Workers) is small and extremely specialised - currently numbering around 550 nationwide. Traditionally, this number has been estimated to be a shortfall of around 1100 workers required to meet the needs of people registered blind. There are considerable pressures on agencies trying to recruit for positions and many go unfilled or 'unqualified' personnel are used to provide some sort of service. We believe there is a distinct difference between knowledge of visual impairment and knowledge of rehabilitation - only a properly trained specialist will combine the two.
As the only specialised, professional organisation providing sub-contracted services to statutory agencies Provision Solutions is uniquely placed to meet the needs of teams delivering rehabilitative programmes to people with a visual impairment.
The company was formed in June 2003 by James Aylett and Andrew Dodgson, both expert professionals in the field. With nearly 40 years experience of creating and delivering innovative rehabilitation programmes and considerable knowledge of service provision, they identified a range of flexible strategies that enable agencies to build robust services to effectively meet the needs of people with a visual impairment.
The company has grown considerably and today employs Rehabilitation Specialists across the UK. Provision Solutions recognises that in order to raise the standard of professionals delivering services, Rehabilitation Specialists require high quality professional development. To this end, the company has developed a raft of training programmes to support qualified Rehabilitation Specialists and associated staff.
In 2006 Provision Solutions developed a 1 year modular course aimed at addressing the shortfall of Rehabilitation Specialists - this innovative programme continues to provide professionals in the field of visual impairment. In 2009 a further course was added that builds on knowledge and enables successful students to deliver innovative, creative Orientation & Mobility training.
We strive to improve and learn; we are successfully partnering a number of countries in Europe, working on a range of innovative programmes that are delivered across borders using a variety of media.
Provision Solutions continues to be an exciting, creative company thriving on problem solving through innovation. It is rightly proud of what has been achieved in such a short space of time and with the ‘can do’ philosophy of its management, it looks optimistically to the future.
