PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
REHABILITATION FOR BLIND PEOPLE (9 October 2005)

That this House congratulates the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association on the launch of its `Rethink Rehab' Campaign; recognises that rehabilitation workers play a crucial role in enabling blind and partially sighted people to live safe and independent lives; notes that there is a major shortage in the number of properly qualified rehabilitation workers to deliver training for visually impaired people, with 30 per cent. of rehabilitation workers not holding the necessary level of qualifications to do the job, that there has also been a shift away from local authority spending on services for people with physical and sensory impairments since 1995 and that as a result blind and partially sighted people are being denied the right to live safe independent lives that other people take for granted; welcomes the fact that the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association is committed to using its considerable experience and expertise to develop solutions; calls on the Government to play its part by developing short-term contingency measures immediately to address the shortfall of qualified rehabilitation workers; and believes that the Government must be committed to finding and funding long-term solutions to improve rehabilitation services on offer for blind and partially sighted people.

Sponsored by:
Sir David Amess (Conservative)