This Year's Charity
MIDDLESEX ASSOCIATION FOR THE BLIND (MAB)
The Middlesex Association for the Blind was set up in 1992 and works locally for Blind, Partially Sighted and Deafblind People in the London Boroughs of Harrow (head office), Barnet, Brent, Ealing, Enfield, Haringey, Hillingdon, Hounslow and Richmond with an estimated 40,000 people with visual impairment in these boroughs.
The MAB staff and trained volunteers provide a range of services to clients, their families/carers by holding Training Courses in Access Technology, having Four Resource Centres with Daily Living Equipment, a Home Visiting Service, Nine Midsight Hospital Information Points, a Telephone Helpline, Children’s Support Group, Deafblind Communicator Guides and a Transcription Service. The support from this Festival will be earmarked for use on a) specially adapted equipment (IT and Mobile phones), £2,500, Daily Living Equipment for the 4 centres £1,000 per centre and Magnifier Loan Service £500.
MAB Resource Centres are located in Harrow, Hounslow, Enfield and Richmond and are equipped with daily living aids and low vision equipment which ranges from magnifiers to talking microwaves, from can openers to talking clocks, from CCTVs to adaptive computer technology. The centres, run by trained staff and volunteers help demonstrate the right equipment for hundreds of people both to clients and carers in a friendly environment.
MAB’s pioneering Access Technology Training Programme now offers access to the world of IT, such as email, the internet, mobile phones and mp3 players. There are three main learning projects i) Basic IT, ii) Internet training, iii) Mobile Phone use and texting training with ‘Touch 2 text’ using the unique ‘Mobile Speak’ training course and materials developed by MAB in-house. The MAB Programme focuses on a) improving learning and achievement, b) promoting social inclusion in the local community and c) providing a means for learners who do not currently participate, to gain access to the learning process. Currently there are over 150 people on the waiting list for the basic IT Training Course alone!
Registered Charity No. 207007
Visit www.aftb.org.uk for further information