People who are blind or have visual impairments and require guidance or supervision from another person when walking out of doors on unfamiliar routes can receive the lower rate mobility component of disability living allowance to help meet their mobility-related extra costs. Blind people who are also physically unable, or virtually unable, to walk, or are both blind and deaf, can qualify for the higher rate of the mobility component.
In addition visually impaired people who are employed or have a job to start could receive help through the Access to Work programme. Access to Work is a specialist disability programme delivered by Jobcentre Plus, which provides practical advice and support to disabled people and their employers to help them overcome work related obstacles resulting from disability. It does this through a system of grants towards the cost of providing support. A grant could be offered to cover the extra cost of using taxis to get to and from work for someone unable to use public transport, or to pay for a travel buddy to allow someone with a new or worsening visual impairment to undertake mobility training and move towards independent travel.
The higher rate mobility component of disability living allowance is for people who are physically unable, or virtually unable, to walk. It is also available to people who are both deaf and blind and require the assistance of another person to walk to any intended or required destination when out of doors because this combination of circumstances means that they are virtually unable to walk. Blind people who are not also physically unable, or virtually unable, to walk can qualify for the lower rate of the mobility component if they require guidance or supervision from another person when walking out of doors on unfamiliar routes. We are discussing with the Royal National Institute for the Blind whether there is scope for improving the help with mobility-related extra costs for blind and partially sighted people.