know their child’s personality and strengths best (171). Ask the young person about support within their family unit and whether they have a trusted adult they can go to who understands their experiences well. Whilst blind and partially sighted young people may well have fully sighted friends and peers, it might benefit them to connect with other individuals their age who also have vision impairment. The young person may find speaking to people with similar challenges helpful, especially if they have similar experiences of poor mental health, whether related to their vision or not (172). If the young person would like to partake in activities and improve their social connections, talk them through the following organisations: LOOK is a national charity and the leading mentoring organisation in the UK for blind and partially sighted young people. They offer a mentoring programme, organise events, and provide an online chat forum. VICTA is a national charity that aims to empower and promote independence in blind and partially sighted young people. They organise creative and sports group activities and events for young people across all age groups. RSBC provides a range of different online and in-person events including audio book and film clubs, practical skills sessions, music and sports workshops, and socialising opportunities. Professional and other help Some of the mental health support services that fully sighted young people use may not be appropriate for a blind or partially sighted young person. Make sure that the services you are signposting to are accessible to the young person and can meet their needs as an individual. Blind and partially sighted young people may have received inadequate, stigmatising, or patronising treatment from health services in the past and may feel nervous about opening up
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