Eye care training
We specialise in developing and delivering training about eye care and vision in relation to people who have learning disabilities across the UK.
Our eye care and vision team have a successful track record of working in partnership with people with learning disabilities, their families and support providers, including health and social care professionals. We also work with eye health and sight loss professionals to support them to deliver excellent services to people with learning disabilities.
We have a range of courses on offer about eye care, sight loss, learning disability and makaton. We can also create bespoke training specific to your needs for the following audiences:
- People who have a learning disability
- Support staff
- Parents and carers
- Health, social care and education professionals
- Special needs school staff
- Optometrists and eye clinic staff
- Rehabilitation workers for the visually impaired
We also welcome invitations to speak, exhibit or contribute to conferences or events in the health, social care, disability and education sectors.
Our courses below can be delivered at a time and location to suit you and are all individually priced to include trainer fees, handouts and travel costs.
To enquire about any of our training courses please contact eyecare@seeability.org.
Look Here events
Interactive and accessible training sessions about eye care for people with a learning disability.
Delivered by Scott Watkin BEM - our expert by experience - this interactive eye health event for people with learning disabilities enables people and their supporters to learn about eye care and vision.
What do you do at a Look Here event?
- Understand why eye care is so important
- Practice what happens at the eye test
- Practice wearing glasses
- Practice cleaning glasses
- Learn about eye problems for people with a learning disability
- Experience what is it like for people who can’t see well
- Practice using other senses
- Look at equipment and support for people who can’t see well
- Take part in a quiz with a prize for the winning team!
Who are Look Here events for?
A Look Here event can be purchased by advocacy services, support providers and organisations involved in health promotion. It can be tailored to your needs and gives people with learning disabilities valuable information about eye care and vision in an accessible way, encouraging them to share these messages with others.
Learners will have access to a range of free easy read resources about eye care and vision, which will support them to put learning into action.
What have people said?
“I learnt how much you have to trust people when you cannot see anything,” a self advocate
"I really enjoyed today, I learnt how to clean my glasses properly and Scott was great!" a self advocate
Training for rehabilitation workers (the needs of people with learning disabilities)
Delivered by our specialist rehabilitation workers, this full day course will support rehabilitation and habilitation workers to adapt rehabilitation assessments and techniques to meet the needs of people with learning disabilities.
What does this course involve?
- Prevalence and needs of people with learning disabilities
- Legislation and history
- Functional Vision Assessment
- Rehabilitation techniques
- Habilitation aids and adaptations
- Communication
- Orientation and mobility
- Person-centred support
Who is this course for?
This course is for rehabilitation workers for the visually impaired, Rehabilitation assistants, habilitation workers and students. This course can be purchased by sight loss services and others and can be tailored to your needs. Learners will have access to a range of free resources about eye care and vision, including SeeAbility’s Functional Vision Assessment tool, which will support them to put learning into action.
What have people said?
"I do have some prior knowledge of functional vision assessment, however, still found today very interesting and informative. I also love having training with practical tools and strategies to use." A rehabilitation worker.
Training for eye clinic staff (the needs of people with learning disabilities)
Delivered by our Eye Care and Vision team, this full day course will support hospital eye clinic staff to increase their understanding and awareness of the needs of people with learning disabilities.
What does this course involve?
- Prevalence of learning disabilities
- Barriers to good eye care
- Eye conditions linked with learning disabilities
- Functional vision assessment
- Reasonable adjustments
- Learning disability services
- Visual impairment rehabilitation
Who is this course for?
This course is for hospital eye clinic staff and can be purchased and tailored to your needs and delivered as continuing education training. Learners will have access to a range of free resources about eye care and vision, which will support them to put learning into action.
What have people said?
"I found it to be an extremely interesting and informative study day. Please keep it up and let it be yearly." An Eye Clinic Nurse
Makaton training
A variety of levels delivered by qualified Makaton tutors.
The courses are delivered by our speech and language therapist's and assistants who are Regional Makaton Tutors.
We can provide a range of Makaton courses including beginner, follow up, foundation and enhancement levels. The two-to-three day courses are an opportunity for people to learn stages of the Makaton Core Vocabulary which uses signs and symbols alongside speech.
What does the course involve?
- Understand Makaton's place in the signing world
- Develop confidence in using signs, in fun practical sessions
- Learn how to select personalised vocabulary
- Simplify messages using appropriate signs or symbols
- Identify how Makaton can be used to meet the needs of different users vocabulary
- Understand the theory behind Makaton
- Learners will receive a manual of the signs and symbols
Who is this course for?
This course is for parents, carers, support workers and professionals who support children and adults with learning disabilities who use Makaton.
What have people said?
"Group inclusion very positive, informative and interesting. Would like to do the advanced course." A support worker
"Have loved learning Makaton! My daughter is much happier now she can communicate her needs. Would recommend everyone learns it." A parent
Children’s eye care and vision for teaching and support staff in special schools
Delivered by our Children in Focus team this course helps those who work in special schools for children with learning disabilities to understand and meet their eye care and vision needs. The course is ideal for inset days and can be a full day or condensed into a few hours and includes practical group activities.
What does this course involve?
- A look at SeeAbility’s Children in Focus Campaign
- Prevalence of sight problems in children
- The importance of eye care
- Supporting children to wear glasses
- The impact of sight problems on education
- Common eye conditions
- Cerebral Visual Impairment
Who is this course for?
This course is for teachers, teaching assistants, learning support staff and other professionals who work with children with learning disabilities in the education setting.
What have people said?
"Very interesting to find out how eye tests are completed with young people." A learning support assistant
"I will be more aware of the way a child with a sight problems will be able to see and how it affects their daily life, and be more aware to adapt activities." A teacher
Functional Vision Assessment
A practical course for supporters of people with a learning disability to learn how to undertake an assessment
Delivered by our Eye Care and Vision team, this practical half day course will enable those who support people with a learning disability to be able to carry out a Functional Vision Assessment.
Many people with learning disabilities may not be able to tell others how they use their vision or if they have a sight problem. A Functional Vision Assessment can be an effective way of recognising the sight difficulties people with learning disabilities might be experiencing.
What does this course involve?
- Prevalence and barriers to eye care
- SeeAbility’s Functional Vision Assessment tool
- Carrying out a functional assessment
- Simulation activities
- Strategies for supporting visually impaired people
- The eye care journey
Who is this course for?
This course is for families, staff and professionals who work with people with learning disabilities. It can be purchased by support providers and others and can be tailored to your needs. Learners will have access to a range of free resources about eye care and vision, including SeeAbility’s Functional Vision Assessment tool, which will support them to put learning into action.
What have people said?
"I think that it is straightforward to use and could highlight problems for my clients that I’d not previously considered." An Occupational therapist
"Very interesting and thought provoking – it’s given me a lot to consider in my current and future work. Excellent afternoon, thank you!" A Learning Disability Nurse
Eye care and visual impairment
A practical course to explore the eye care journey for people with a learning disability
Delivered by our Eye Care and Vision team, this practical full day course helps those who support people with learning disabilities to understand and meet the eye care needs of people with learning disabilities.
What does this course involve?
- The prevalence of sight loss amongst people with learning disabilities
- Access to eye care
- The eye test
- Preparation and support for eye care
- Wearing glasses
- Common eye conditions
- Functional vision assessment
- Simulation activities about sight loss
- Strategies, equipment and support for visually impaired people
Who is this course for?
This course is for families, staff and professionals who work with people with learning disabilities. It can be purchased by support providers and others and can be tailored to your needs. Learners will have access to a range of free resources about eye care and vision, which will support them to put learning into action.
What have people said?
"An in-depth insight into the problems/barriers of sight loss." A social worker
"I was unaware of a lot of the issues around sight problems." A family carer
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