RNIB spends

Over £12 million helping young people with sight problems get the best start in life by providing schools, colleges and a national support network for students, parents and education professionals.

Over £24 million helping improve employment opportunities for people of working age with sight problems by: creating technological solutions like talking computers, calculators and dictionaries; providing support, advice and practical training; working in partnership with other organisations.

Over £16 million helping older people with daily living and leisure activities through: services such as Talk and Support; providing information in formats including braille, large print and audio cassette; developing practical products such as liquid level indicators for making drinks safely, talking kitchen scales and training to help people live independently

Over £10 million working to raise public awareness, through campaigning, information provision, influencing and training professional contacts. For example, RNIB Eye Test Action Day in October 2004.

Our history

The founder of RNIB, Thomas Rhodes Armitage, was born in Sussex in 1824. He became a successful doctor but had to retire in his mid-thirties because of failing eyesight. At that time few people with impaired vision had any formal education and most had to beg in the streets or rely on their relatives for food and shelter.

Although a wealthy man himself, Armitage recognised that money alone didn’t answer long term problems, particularly with regard to independence. The solution lay in enabling blind people to gain both self-respect and new opportunities through education, training and employment. Armitage knew that the only way that people with impaired vision could achieve these things was if they could learn to read and write for themselves.

In 1868 a meeting in Dr Armitage’s house in London led to the formation of an organisation known as the British and Foreign Society for Improving Embossed Literature for the Blind. Later this became the British and Foreign Blind Association. The new organisation set about investigating all the known forms of embossed writing. After two years of thorough research, Armitage and his colleagues concluded that Braille was the most effective form of tactile writing available to blind people.

Braille’s major advantage over other tactile systems was that in addition to being able to read it, blind people could also write it themselves. Once this decision had been made, the promotion of Braille became an immediate priority for the Society. It began publishing literature in Braille, selling Braille writing and teaching individuals how to read and write in Braille.

While the adoption of Braille was a very important landmark in allowing access to information, Armitage realised it was worth very little without education. The Society therefore began providing educational facilities for children and young adults. The first schools to be opened were the Sunshine House Schools in Hertfordshire from 1918 onwards. They were founded as homes for young blind children and the first one, at Chorleywood in Hertfordshire, had an intake of 25 blind infants.

The first patron of the organisation was Her Majesty Queen Victoria in 1875 and over the years the organisation has continued to enjoy royal patronage, eventually receiving a Royal Charter in 1948. The organisation subsequently changed its name to the Royal National Institute for the Blind in 1953. Today our patrons are Her Majesty The Queen and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother. Our President is His Grace the Duke of Westminster DL.