Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) teams up with Royal Mail to launch transcription service.
Blind and partially sighted people are to get help to communicate with their MP by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and the Royal Mail.
The organisations have launched the Transcription Service which will see constituent’s letters transcribed from Braille and audio by RNIB before being sent to the appropriate MPs with the opposite process carried out for replies.
Royal Mail is funding the service which will be completely confidential and free-of-charge to users.
Helen Dearman, parliamentary manager at RNIB, said: “We are really pleased to work with Royal Mail and MPs to help provide a scheme of this type; we know just how important it is for people with sight loss to be able to send letters or read their post independently, without having to rely on family and friends to help them write or read letters on their behalf.
We know just how important it is for people with sight loss to be able to send letters or read their post independently
“This scheme will ensure that blind and partially sighted people can quickly and easily write to their MPs about the issues that matter to them and that MPs can reply in the format that their constituents prefer.”
Royal Mail already runs the Articles for the Blind Scheme, launched in 1965, which allows blind or partially sighted customers, and registered charities, to send items to registered blind or recognised visually impaired people for free.
Last year it delivered over 3.6 million items through the service, representing an investment of around £4 million
Gary Grange, community investment manager at Royal Mail, added: “There are over 1.9 million people living with sight loss in the UK – that is around 3,000 per parliamentary constituency. For these people everyday tasks, such as corresponding with an MP, can be a real challenge.
“We hope that the service will give both MPs, and their communities, the support they need to meet the needs of their blind and partially sighted constituents.”
