Bank of Scotland Foundation has donated over £120,000 to a charity supporting blind and deaf individuals across the north-east.
The £121,000 grant will enable North East Sensory Services (NESS) to expand training and support in the use of accessible technology for more blind and deaf people across the north-east.
Running for two years, the funding from Bank of Scotland Foundation will allow the charity to employ an additional part-time ICT officer. This is to meet the increased demand throughout Dundee, Angus, Aberdeen and Moray.
Throughout 2019-20, NESS supported 143 people throughout the pandemic by providing training over the phone to those in the sensory impaired community. The service enabled individuals to use accessibility features on smart devices to improve their communication and access important information when they would have been at high risk of isolation and receiving misinformation.
A lot of families also use the service who might have visually impaired parents for advice and help on better communicating with their isolated family members. NESS works with a wide range of technology from specialist optical scanning device to accessibility software and apps on smart devices.
‘A lifeline service’
Graham Findlay, chief executive of North East Sensory Services, expressed his gratefulness to the Bank of Scotland Foundation for the grant.
He said: “This will enable us to meet growing demand and expand a lifeline service for people across the north-east.
“Outcomes vary for each individual, but they are truly transformational – enabling people with sensory loss to live their lives on their own terms and reduce their reliance on others for tasks which we all take for granted.”
Some of the activities NESS offer support with could be online study, job searches, banking, shopping independently or enabling contact between friends and family, something that has become more essential throughout the pandemic.
Bank of Scotland Foundation recognises that Covid-19 has had a significant impact on people across Scotland and aims to reach those in need.
Chair of the Foundation’s board of trustees Philip Grant, emphasised this saying: “As we enter a period of recovery after the pandemic, our Change grants are helping to bring financial security to charities across Scotland.
“We were delighted to award North East Sensory Services £121,210 over two years through our Change programme. ”
The 2021 Change grant programme focused on “helping Scotland recover” by allowing charities greater flexibility on using and deploying resources. This enabled them to respond quickly to ongoing changes.
Mr Grant added: “This will enable them to expand their Information Communication and Technology service to ensure people across the north-east can continue to benefit.”
