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Warwickshire Vision Support (formerly known as Warwickshire Association for the Blind) is a registered charity providing rehabilitation services for adults with sight impairments to support them to live independent lives. Services are provided by Warwickshire Vision Support's rehabilitation team based at their offices in Warwick. Founded in 1911, the charity celebrated its centenary year in 2011. In 2014, Warwickshire Association for the Blind changed its operating name to Warwickshire Vision Support. ==History== Warwickshire Association for the Blind was formed in 1911 with the twin objectives of working towards the prevention of blindness and to find blind people in Warwickshire in order to promote their welfare. Indeed, one of its first tasks was to undertake a survey to determine how many blind people lived in the county, and a limited response from parish clergy indicated a number of 250. The inaugural meeting of the Association was chaired by Lord Algernon Percy, the High Sheriff of Warwickshire, and a former Conservative MP, who spoke of the difficulties blind people experienced when finding employment, while other members expressed a need for greater support to equal that which was taking place in other parts of the country. In 1925 the charity formed a partnership with Warwickshire County Council which saw the appointment of the first home teacher to visit and provide education to blind children throughout the county. With the introduction of the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944, the Association began encouraging able bodied blind people to register for employment, and by 1945 the charity was operating centres around the county, which at the time included Leamington, Shirley, Sutton Coldfield and Tamworth. The organisation bought Huntley Lodge in Leamington Spa in 1950, turning it into a home for twenty two elderly blind people. The Lodge was run by Warwickshire County Council until 1980 when it was sold and the proceeds of the sale donated to the charity.〔 A 1991 report by the Royal National Institute for the Blind indicated a far greater number of visually impaired people than previously thought, and in response to this the Association developed a new strategy to cover the increased number of people it would need to provide services for. It also formalised its partnership with Warwickshire Social Services, and the task of registering blind and partially sighted people was delegated to the charity.〔 The Association underwent an extensive restructuring programme in 2004 as a result of changes in financial regulations, and in 2008 became a limited company. As of 2011 Warwickshire Association for the Blind has over 4,000 people on its database, 2,800 of whom are registered as having some form of visual disability.〔 The organisation celebrated its centenary year in 2011 with a re-enactment of its first meeting at Leamington Town Hall. There was also an art exhibition at Leamington Art Gallery. In 2014, Warwickshire Association for the Blind changed its operating name to Warwickshire Vision Support. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Warwickshire Vision Support」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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