The Brent Vision Impairment Service (BVIS) aims to ensure children and young people with a diagnosed vision impairment have equality of opportunity alongside their fully sighted peers.
The team supports children and young people from birth to 25, who are with or without additional needs. There are over 150 children and young people in Brent who are partially sighted or blind and receive direct input from the BVIS service.
People over 18 and not in education
Most referrals for people over 18 and not in education are made by hospitals or other health and social care services.
If you would like to self-refer, please contact Brent Customer Services.
To do this by phone, call 0208 937 4300 (press option 2 for adult social care).
BVIS work within the home and early years settings through to secondary schools and colleges. They work with parents, carers, teachers and other professionals as well as directly with children and young people.
The vision impairment team is made up of:
- advisory teachers with a qualification in teaching children and young people with a vision impairment
- a children's habitation and mobility specialist who works with children and families to develop independent travel and life skills
- a resource co-ordinator who trains and supports teaching assistants (TAs) and advises on the production of suitable classroom materials
The service is one of two teams which make up Brent’s Sensory Support Service. The team works alongside the Brent Deaf and Hearing Impaired Service (BDHIS).