Vision Collaborative Scotland is a group of third-sector organisations which all work to support people with vision impairments in Scotland.
Our Purpose
We will work collaboratively to support people who have vision impairments to live fulfilling and active lives in an inclusive Scotland.
We bring together organisations which work in Scotland to amplify the voices and needs of people with vision impairments and their families, to identify shared priorities and work together to develop sustainable solutions.
Our Members
Guide Dogs
Rehabilitation Workers Professional Network (RWPN)
RNIB Scotland
Scottish Sensory Hub – Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (the ALLIANCE)
Sight Scotland and Sight Scotland Veterans (Chair and website hosting)
Thomas Pocklington Trust
Visibility Scotland (Vice-chair)
Visionary
Our Work Together
We have agreed to work together on three key areas:
- Development of a professional rehabilitation training programme for people who work with adults with visual impairment in Scotland, taking steps towards a sustainable workforce in Scotland
- Evidence-based joint campaign and policy work
- Research, including Scottish vision impairment community support landscape review
Our History
The Scottish Vision Services Steering Group (SVSSG) was a consortium of organisations that formed in 2021 and successfully campaigned to reinstate the Low Vision Rehabilitation Course which ran at Glasgow Caledonian University.
The course was reinstated in January 2023, thanks to funding sourced through SVSSG, provided by Thomas Pocklington Trust and the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland. The funding enabled this course to be offered with a 50% subsidy of course fees. 19 people graduated from the course in July 2024.
In 2025, we changed our name to Vision Collaborative Scotland to better reflect our purpose. This development also recognises the critical importance of Sight Scotland and Sight Scotland Veterans’ new Head of Strategic Partnerships. This role has an outward-facing sectoral development focus, and the postholder Susan Shippey is now chairing our group.
Our Future
Vision Collaborative Scotland is working towards offering two new professional training courses in vision rehabilitation, as well as conducting ground-breaking research into the effectiveness of vision rehabilitation and habilitation.
You can find out more about these at the links below.
You may also be interested in
International Research on the Impact of Vision Rehabilitation and Habilitation
Vision Collaborative Scotland is working with the University of Melbourne and Glasgow Caledonian University on ground-breaking research into the effectiveness of vision rehabilitation and habilitation.
Growing the VI Rehabilitation Workforce in Scotland
Vision Collaborative Scotland is working towards offering two new professional training courses in vision rehabilitation to commence in January 2026.
Interested to know more about Vision Collaborative Scotland?
Email the Chair Susan.Shippey@Sightscotland.org.uk