RNIB’s Products and Advice Centre celebrates a relaunch in Belfast
RNIB’s premises on Gloucester Street in Belfast recently opened its doors to the public to relaunch the charity’s store under the new name - the RNIB Products and Advice Centre.
The good news is, RNIB’s stores may have a new name, but the great range of products and customer care remains the same.
Customers can now take advantage of an even broader range of advice, not only on RNIB products but all aspects of RNIB services and support for people affected by sight loss.
There to unveil the new signage, mark the occasion and welcome visitors to the newly named store, was chair of RNIB trustees, Anna Tylor, who was only too delighted to pay another visit to Belfast.
For many years, people affected by sight loss have enjoyed the expert advice, hands-on demonstrations, and in-person customer care, available in-store from the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).
Betty McAllister lives in Belfast, is aged 75 and lives with sight loss.
She has been coming to the RNIB store in Belfast for many years to find out about the latest in assistive products and technology and receive one-to-one demonstrations of what’s new.
Visiting the relaunch event, Betty said: “I’ve been a customer with RNIB for as long as they’ve had a store in Northern Ireland.
"It’s important to me to be able to touch something, to get a sense of how it works, before I take it home and the team in RNIB is always happy to demonstrate each product and take things at my pace.
“Visiting the new Products and Advice Centre is always a pleasure and something I really look forward to. I’ve spent many a happy hour or two with Louise and the team and I think it’s vital to have somewhere to come where you can talk about the detail of some of the products and equipment available for blind and partially sighted people.
"It’s specialised equipment, so to have the team in RNIB here to talk you through everything and to show you how it all works, is invaluable.”
On the day, blind and partially sighted people, their friends and family, sector professionals and supporters of the charity, were invited to browse the extensive range of RNIB products and equipment, all specially designed to enable people living with sight loss to maximise their independence.
The RNIB Products and Advice Centre is the ideal location for customers to get the essential advice and support necessary to help live independently and enjoy everyday activities.
From tactile and talking clocks and watches, to accessible home and kitchen products, lighting solutions, through to Braille products, reading technology and accessible toys and games.
Visitors with questions or queries about RNIB support services, made the most of one-to-one advice clinics, available throughout the day.
These advice clinics showcased the support available at the point of a person’s sight loss diagnosis, to further support in helping with finding a job or staying in work.
Support for children and young people and their families, to help with learning assistive technology, advocacy and campaigning, and links to help people thrive in their local community and find that all-important peer support, was also on hand.
RNIB’s product co-ordinator Louise Kenny, said: “It amazes me even after 18 years of doing this job, that a product we sell can actually change someone’s life for the better.
"When someone loses either some, or all of their sight, how they live their life can change – sometimes overnight. That’s where we can step in.
“I can demonstrate products or technology available from the RNIB Shop that can enable a person to get back to doing what they want to do or show them a different way to do it.
"I can also refer them on to another RNIB service that might help them with finding employment, or staying in work, advice on supporting children or young people with a vision impairment; directing people onto our eager campaigns team if there’s an issue, they want policy advice and support on as well as social and peer-to-peer support and connection.
“A lot of what we do here in the Products and Advice Centre, is simply giving specialist advice.
"People affected by sight loss come to us with sometimes basic but important questions that really matter to them. Our job is to either provide them with an answer or refer them on to another RNIB support service that does have the answer.”
The RNIB Products and Advice Centre now serves as the gateway to all the expert advice and wider support services that RNIB can offer the 57,500 people with sight loss currently living in Northern Ireland today.
To book an appointment at the RNIB Products and Advice Centre, arrange for a visit to your community group, or invite our expert team to exhibit at a community event, call: 028 9033 4110, or emailing: [email protected]