The Scottish Vision Services Steering Group

Members

Visibility Scotland, Sight Scotland, Rehabilitation Workers Professional Network (RWPN), Thomas Pocklington Trust, RNIB Scotland, Guide Dogs and the Sensory Hub – Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (the ALLIANCE).

SVSSG Background

The Scottish Vision Services Steering Group (SVSSG) is a consortium of organisations that formed in 2021 and successfully campaigned to reinstate the Low Vision Rehabilitation Course. Scotland does not have a formal educational path for vision specialists, which is negatively impacting the lives of people with vision impairment.

SVSSG Purpose

To convene a group of stakeholders from the Vision Impairment sector to focus on matters relating to the provision of rehabilitation in Scotland.

  • The scope of the group is to provide a forum that ensures oversight and delivery of the following objectives:
    1. Reinstate the Graduate Low Vision Rehabilitation Course.
    2. Create a suite of modular learning to expand and upskill the current workforce, provide yearly CPD and work towards a regulated profession.
    3. Achieve regulation for the Vision Rehabilitation Specialist profession to match those of Allied Health Professionals.
    4. Assess and scrutinise the financial sustainability of future Rehabilitation qualification and training courses, providing influence to ensure their continued viability.
    5. Promotion of the wider ‘Right to Rehab’ through campaigning and awareness-raising.

     

 

Vision Rehabilitation Update

The Graduate Low Vision Rehabilitation course was reinstated in January 2023. This was only possible due to the funding sourced by SVSSG, provided by Thomas Pocklington Trust and the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (the ALLIANCE).

The funding enabled 50% reduction in the overall course cost; the 50% reduction filtered to each studentship.

Almost all of the cohort will graduate in early July 2024.

Professional Training

SVSSG is committed to creating a sustainable course that caters for all the workforce training needs and funding, enabling a career pathway aligned with that of other Allied Health professionals such as occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, and physiotherapists. The overarching aim is to improve service provision and access for people living with vision impairment in Scotland.

The Scottish Vision Services Steering Group (SVSSG) commissioned Visibility Scotland, a national sight loss charity, to research and review the current workforce supplying specialised support in Scotland to people of all ages living with vision impairment and their family carers. The review also investigated professional roles, responsibilities and training opportunities.

Download the report here: VI Support Workforce Review and Feasibility Proposal for a New Professional Training and Service Delivery Framework (DOCX, 88 KB)

Growing the VI Rehabilitation Workforce in Scotland

Vision Collaborative Scotland is pleased to share that we are working towards offering two new professional training courses in vision rehabilitation. We hope that the courses, being run in partnership with the University of Strathclyde, will commence in January 2026. A two year part-time blended learning course will enable individuals to study to Postgraduate Diploma level and work as Vision Rehabilitation Specialists. A new, exciting offer is that a one year part-time blended learning course at Postgraduate Certificate level will enable students to practise as Vision Rehabilitation Assistants.

Development of the courses has been based on extensive engagement with third sector sight loss organisations and Health and Social Care Partnerships in 2024. Our research highlighted a fragmented picture of rehabilitation service delivery, with limited opportunities for professional development for existing staff and no Scotland-based training course to train new vision rehabilitation staff.

Course content follows the Sensory Services National Occupational Standards, and the professional registration body, the Rehabilitation Workers’ Professional Network has contributed to course development.

The blended learning approach includes online content delivery, in-person practicals and work-based learning

Pg Cert. and Pg Dip. Courses include:

  • Introduction to vision impairment
  • Assessment and research methodology
  • Independent living skills and communication tools

The Pg Dip course adds:

  • Low vision and no vision strategies
  • Orientation and mobility (including long cane training)
  • Specialist placement
  • Elective study choices, options include clinical governance and stroke

If you, or members of your team, are interested in finding out more about the Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma in Vision Rehabilitation at the University of Strathclyde, please contact Susan.Shippey@sightscotland.org.uk or laura.murray.100@strath.ac.uk

International Research on the Impact of Vision Rehabilitation and Habilitation.

Does your organisation provide vision rehabilitation and/or habilitation? Are you based in Scotland?

  • If yes to both, the sight loss sector seeks your support with a unique, first-of-its-kind research study.

    The research project will collect data on the impact of vision rehabilitation and habilitation on people living with vision impairment in Scotland. Participation requires data to be collected pre and post intervention. The data collection tool is digital, and training will be provided.

    The UK has a national shortage of Habilitation and Rehabilitation Vision Specialists. This profoundly affects service provision for people with vision impairment. To continue to evolve as a sector and service provider, we must ensure that the voices of lived experience are heard and services are tailored to the needs of people and their families experiencing life-changing vision changes.

    The Scottish Vision Services Steering Group (SVSSG), in partnership with Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) and the University of Melbourne in Australia (UoM), will publish data collected pre- and post-vision Habilitation and Vision Rehabilitation intervention throughout the 12-month study.

    The research consortium will use a series of validated questionnaires to collect data on the impact of therapy on quality of life, anxiety, depression, and fall risk. Sight Scotland and Thomas Pocklington Trust have funded the research project.

    This international research has the potential to significantly impact service delivery and drive service change for the foreseeable future. It is the first known piece of research to be conducted internationally on Vision Habilitation and Rehabilitation and the impact of vision on quality of life.

 

If your organisation is willing to participate, please complete the following Microsoft Office Form questionnaire.

SVSSG Research Registration participant link

Participation must be conducted by qualified or soon-to-be qualified vision rehabilitation specialists and or habilitation specialists.

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