A new kind of tech support starts here

Say hello to new services offering our deepest-ever tech support for people living with sight loss.

When I talk to people living with sight loss about what technology means to them, I usually hear one of two stories.

When the right tech clicks, people describe independence, confidence and millions of everyday ‘I can’ moments that combine into something so much bigger. It’s 95-year-old Doreen cooking dinner for a neighbour with the help of Alexa. Footie-mad Ryder doing homework on the iPad. It’s a world that’s brighter and wider—for all of us.

But when technology isn’t working or is out of reach, it can easily feel like an enemy. A bad experience can be frustrating, leaving people feeling different, excluded or even, as one person recently put it, ‘inadequate’.

The right tech and the confidence to use it

Our new services are all about offering our deepest-ever tech support to people living with sight loss. Launched in Liverpool yesterday and in Birmingham later this month, our enriched service will grow across a host of UK locations over the coming months.

Drawn from our deepest-ever research into the tech needs, wants and frustrations of people living with sight loss, our regional pilot projects give people the right tech and the support to use it - on the phone, in person and online.

Adapting to the changing face of tech

Tech moves fast. The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and voice-activated smart tech over the past decade has transformed what’s possible for our community. A simple Alexa device can do so much of what purpose-built specialist sight loss tech once did—and more.

But not everyone is riding the wave of emerging technology and our research found that nearly two-thirds of people with no useful vision are frequently or very frequently frustrated with tech.

Age is a factor. While 80 per cent of 16-to-24-year-olds with sight loss are using smart speakers, among people aged 65 and over, that figure falls to 52 per cent. And we know confidence varies with age. In fact, 44 per cent of those aged 65 and older say they are not very or not at all comfortable with tech.

Meanwhile, across all age groups, more than two in three people say the cost of the latest device can mean that the life-changing potential of tech remains frustratingly out of reach.

No two people the same

While this story of frustration and exclusion might be familiar to us at Visably, we know that in reality each person’s experience is different. The barrier might be cost, difficulty finding the hands-on support, or a lack of belief and confidence to take the first step.

No two people are the same. And, when asked what type of support they wanted from us, the biggest preference was for services delivered cade-to-face and tailored to their needs.

That’s why, when we designed our new service offer, we started with the person—not the solution.

When they come to the new Visably people will be able to access free tech, matched to their needs. They’ll find one-off support to stop little hurdles becoming big barriers, a patient volunteer who can bring that oh-so-important confidence and belief, or a friendly community of people facing similar challenges.

More about our transformation and new direction