The National Council for the Blind in Ireland (NCBI) is calling on Donegal people who are blind or vision impaired to learn more about, and join, their Local Advocacy Networks (LANs).
LANs are designed to bring together affected people to advocate for meaningful change in their local communities. The groups meet once a month to discuss the range of campaigns that they are working on and all of these meetings take place online for utmost convenience.
The Western Region network covers Donegal, Galway, Mayo, Roscommon and Sligo.
In recent months, NCBI’s LANs have led and successfully completed campaigns and are involved in several ongoing campaigns. For example, the Midwest LAN engaged with the local libraries within their area to make them more inclusive for people who are blind or vision impaired. The North-East LAN is currently engaged with Tidy Towns with a view to including more accessibility requirements within the initiative into the future.
Members from across the LANs are also regular contributors to NCBI’s national public awareness campaigns e.g. the annual Clear Our Paths campaign and, in 2022, members appeared across several media platforms to speak about their experiences. Full training and support is provided to LAN members.
They also have two LANs that have a specialised focus:
- Local Advocacy Network on Access
- Local Advocacy Network on Employment
“We encourage anyone who is blind or vision impaired in Donegal, who is also interested in improving services, events or activities for those living with sight loss in their area to reach out to NCBI for more information,” an NCBI spokesperson said.
You can do this by contacting campaigns@ncbi.ie or by calling the NCBI Info Line on 1800 911 250.
More information about the LANs is also available on their dedicated “Become an Advocate” webpage.
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