Can You Help?

This last week has really been a revelation to me!  I have been investigating the possibility of some help at work with equipment etc to help me see better and do my job.

I honestly did not think I would need it but these last few months I have been coming home with real head aches and my eyes have been so sore, the final straw was realising that I needed another change of glasses, someone at work kindly pointed me in the direction of access to work, so I phoned them.

They sent this fantastic chap out called Patrick Adams, who is blind himself, what an inspiration, It makes my tiny little problem pale into insignificance, anyway he suggested all sorts of stuff that might be of benefit to me.  Today the first company came out to demonstrate some of the equipment available and boy how fantastic, I can not believe how much easier things will be for me without me having to struggle to see properly.  Especially reading documents and when I have to go to training events.  It makes sense having this stuff as it will take a massive strain of my eyes and perhaps will help them stop getting any worse! (well we can live in hope)

I also can't believe that these products and services are not well known!  It is a crying shame that people could be helped and given tools to make their lives easier, and that there is money there to help people who need this sort of equipment, but no one suggests it!

For the last 18 monthsI have been backwards and forwards to the hospital, to the opticians and to low vision clinics and not once has anyone suggested any of this stuff, which would have been available.  Of course I knew about access to work, but it was not emphasised just how much they could help out with equipment, only really with travel. 

Apparently if we lived in France, the minute you are diagnosed with conditions that affect your sight and glasses are not always that effective, you are introduced this sort of equipment at the start.  After talking to the equipment company today, it is common place here that no one really suggests equipment and companies supplying that equipment that could help you.  He said that it is a massive problem and all they want to do is make peoples lives better.  He said that there is this huge pot of money which is under utilised!

I can not stand to think of others struggling on, especially those with much worse problems than mine, I am on a mission now to try and get knowledge of these products and services out there so others can benefit from them too.

If anyone can suggest a way to help me do this I am open to suggestions!

Lizzie

xxxxxxx