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SeeAbility is a charity that empowers people with learning disabilities and autism, some of whom may also have sight loss, to live ambitious lives and achieve things they may not have thought possible.聽

We encourage people with disabilities to challenge what they expect from life, from themselves and from wider society so that they can live, love, thrive and belong as equals in an inclusive society.聽

We provide creative and ambitious social care support, where people are empowered to live the lives they choose, make decisions about the support they receive and through a combination of specialist therapies and expertise, achieve new things every day.聽

SeeAbility also delivers the only national programme on eye care for people with learning disabilities, based on our eyecare research which shows that people with learning disabilities are 10 times more likely to have undiagnosed problems with their eyes. We have a clinical team who provide eye care in special schools too, so that children with learning disabilities can join in, learn new skills, be independent and live life to the full.聽

SeeAbility knows that something as simple as a pair of glasses, delivered as a result of an accessible sight test, can have a profound and life-changing impact.聽

Our self-advocacy, influencing, supported employment and digital inclusion programmes mean more people with disabilities can participate and contribute to society, whilst also challenging assumptions, attitudes, and policies.聽

I became involved with SeeAbility in 2019 when I joined my friend Amar Latif, who鈥檚 blind, and 20 other adventurers on a fundraising trek to the summit of Mount Toubkal in the Atlas Mountains.

Our group was a wonderful mix of people with lived experience of learning disabilities and sight loss and those, like me, privileged to guide them.

We spent four days in Morocco, working together as a team to reach the summit of North Africa鈥檚 highest peak.

I was struck by the resilience of my fellow trekkers with disabilities and realised the determination they needed not just on the mountain but in everyday life to overcome the challenges they face.聽

Shortly after the trek I visited one of SeeAbility鈥檚 homes, Heather House, and was inspired by the dedication of the team there to ensure that those with disabilities lead fulfilling lives and achieve their goals.

I share SeeAbility鈥檚 passion to create opportunities for everyone to feel included in their communities. It鈥檚 time to break down the barriers in society and challenge assumptions about what people with disabilities can and can鈥檛 do.

Kiyana is a lively, fun-loving little girl who, thanks to SeeAbility, can now see her mother and the world more clearly.

Like many children with Down鈥檚 syndrome, Kiyana is long-sighted and needs to wear glasses. Regular frames didn鈥檛 fit at her temples and constantly slipped off her face. However, SeeAbility鈥檚 dispensing optician found a lightweight frame with an adjustable bridge that fits perfectly on her nose.

Thanks to her specially fitted glasses Kiyana can finally live the active life that means so much to her. Her mum Dee says that she鈥檚 a different girl and is so much more confident now. You'll find her in the gym crawling down a tunnel, playing ping-pong with her friends or jumping around on the trampoline. In short, she's able to muck around in the way any child should.

Connor lived at home until he was 16 and then went to a residential college where he found it difficult to settle in. Shortly after, Connor moved into SeeAbility鈥檚 residential home in Somerset.

Connor has a brilliant sense of humour, loves car meets, has cerebral palsy, is a wheelchair user and has a learning disability. He found it a challenge to live in a residential home because it reminded him that he is disabled. Connor wants what we all want, to be independent and live his own life, so the SeeAbility team supported him with his application for his own flat.聽

Now, Connor has achieved his dream of living independently and is busy making friends and doing the things he enjoys. With support from SeeAbility in his own home, he attends car meets at the local Banger Racing venue, where one day he hopes to find a job.

Beatrix had been ready to work since she left school. She tried for seven years to find employment through her local Job Centre, but despite her drive and willingness, she didn鈥檛 succeed. That鈥檚 when SeeAbility鈥檚 supported employment programme Ready, Willing and Able stepped in.

Joining our programme in May 2021, Beatrix who has a learning disability, began working with her own supported employment coach to help her develop her skills and prepare for work. Together they then looked to find employment opportunities, all the while working on her interview technique.

In June, Beatrix secured an interview to work as a waitress at an award-winning restaurant in Bristol. In response to her cheery personality and her hard work with her Ready, Willing and Able coach, Beatrix was offered the job, bringing her seven-year search to an end.聽