Envision Steering Group Results

I mentioned in my previous Envision blog post about the election voting process for the new steering group body of the campaigning network, helping to shape and drive campaigns forward and providing a voice of the wider membership.

The polls have now closed and the results are in; I'm very pleased to announce that I will remain a member of the steering group for a second year, continuing my roles s Co-chair and Comms member. The steering group will now have 6 members, rather than the previous 8, with the new steering group consisting of:

- Kimberley Burrows
- Naomi Stevenson
- Chris Reddington
- Mohammed Mohsan-Ali
- Lucy Hayward
- Francesca Balon

A huge number of votes were received altogether and Envision would like to thank those who took the time to vote! Other members in the wider campaigning network are still encouraged to be involved; feeding into campaigns and supporting our presence online via our social media accounts.

I look forward to getting stuck in again this year and helping to promote the network through various avenues, including social media, and building upon my portfolio of already-established campaigning skills. I will, of course, be blogging about everything Envision gets up to in the next 12 months!

Useful Links

• E-mail • Facebook • Twitter • All Envision Blog Posts • Envision Microsite • Envision Launch • Envision Steering Group • Our First Campaign • YouTube Video • Insight Radio Interview

Envision Teleconference: 24th February 2015

Envision held a teleconference last night to reflect on the progress of the first year of the campaigning network, as well as the changes it has made to the lives of the members involved with the steering group - whether it be through building confidence, achieving independence, developing new skills or networking with new people.

This was the final teleconference with the current steering group line-up, as voting is now open to elect members of the new steering group who have put themselves forward.

We first discussed what we felt we had gained from Envision and how that would benefit us in the future. Confidence-boosting, volunteering and employment opportunities were mentioned by my fellow steering group members and I followed this on with how my independence has grown from strength-to-strength over the past year since being involved with the network. I now travel on my own, with my Guide Dog, when previously with my cane I would request that a sighted member of staff meet up with me for the train journey. I'm also much more happy to stay away from home for days at a time without my family, thanks to the Parliamentary trip and RNIB Campaigners Convention.

Following this, we talked about what we enjoyed the most and the least over the past year. The Parliament visit was agreed to be the highlight so far, as well as face-to-face meetings at Judd Street and having the chance to meet other young visually impaired people from all over the country. I felt a need for more workshops and skills-building opportunities as many of the group have expressed in the past that they don't know where to start with social media and / or feel uncomfortable with either Facebook or Twitter and have trouble adjusting from one to the other.

To end, we considered how the running of Envision could be improved for the next year. Suggestions included more regional meetings, more involvement in local areas and the chance to develop social media skills. I mentioned how I would like more communication with the wider network to involve them more with things going forward and access to our social media accounts.

As mentioned above, voting is now open to elect new members of the steering group for the coming year. You can find out more about the nominees, their statements and how to vote via SurveyMonkey by visiting the RNIB site here.

Useful Links

• E-mail • Facebook • Twitter • All Envision Blog Posts • Envision Microsite • Envision Launch • Envision Steering Group • Our First Campaign • YouTube Video • Insight Radio Interview

Envision Teleconference: November 17th 2014

The Steering Group and I held a teleconference last night to discuss our recently drafted charter. We looked over each of the 7 points, as a group, making clarifications and expanding points to provide more detail of our asks. The amended charter will be e-mailed around to the steering group, followed by the wider network as a whole, in the very near future.

After editing the charter we moved our conversation towards how we would present it to the industry. Do we target individuals or do we look into communicating with head offices in the retail sector? We agreed that the New Year would be a good time in order to do this, with 'New Year Resolutions' being a suitable theme of which to achieve our asks, and perhaps even launch an event nationally to draw attention to the charter itself and the evidence we've explored.

We talked about the bus charter and how that was recently presented with a nationwide event; first with a meeting at the Head Office, proceeded by the Minister of Transport giving a speech, with bus companies following suit and signing up to the charter.

Finally, we conversed about what to do at a local level. Coffee mornings and group meetings at coffee shops, involving visually impaired people for their support, were mentioned as well as contacting local store managers and staff members. This is something we will be thinking about over the next few weeks.

The next steering group teleconference will be held in the evening of Tuesday, December 9th.

Useful Links

• E-mail • Facebook • Twitter • All Envision Blog Posts • Envision Microsite • Envision Launch • Envision Steering Group • Our First Campaign • YouTube Video • Insight Radio Interview

Steering Group Meeting: October 23rd 2014

The Envision steering group and I met at the RNIB headquaters in Judd Street, London, last Thursday to discuss the next steps in regards to our coffee shop campaign.

This was my first meeting as a co-chair for Envision and one of the responsibilities within my role is to help chair meetings, by; keeping track of the allocated time set for each topic, ensuring that all items on the agenda are discussed, and that everyone has had the opportunity to have their say and share their views.

I lead on welcomes and introductions, as well as 2 segments of the coffee shop campaign itself - reviewing the feedback received so far through e-mails and hard copies sent in, plus monitoring the SurveyMonkey results, followed by discussion of the VCC teleconference that I chaired recently.

We have almost 70 responses to our coffee shop survey so far which includes initial reponses from the steering group and Envision members earlier this year via mystery shopping, e-mail and hard copy versions sent in through promotion of the survey via the RNIB website, and finally through SurveyMonkey - the electronic version of the coffee shop survey.

The SurveyMonkey version can be found here and will officially close on December 12th at 5pm, allowing as much time as possible to push for any final feedback responses to build a stronger campaign voice and evidence base. If you are visually impaired and feel strongly that coffee shops should stock accessible menus and have greater staff awareness, then please feel free to fill in the form and share your views to help us compose a more accurate charter.

I provided and analysed statistics of the main areas we are looking at in coffee shops; staff awareness, easily identifiable staff and the availability of accessible menus for each of the 4 main coffee chains in the UK (Starbucks, Costa, Cafe Nero and Pret a Manger). Only in 3 instances were visually impaired customers provided with an accessible menu in the feedback we have so far, all from one particular coffee chain.

Next on the agenda that I lead on, was the recent VCC teleconference that I helped to chair. It was held during the evening of October 6th, with various visually impaired and blind campaigners located across England (which included a member from the wider network of Envision and a member of the steering group) on the call to serve as a focus group. This provided the opportunity to collect more feedback to our survey and to also generate some ideas for the development of our charter.

I discussed some of the main points raised during this teleconference, such as lighting, layout and the exterior street furniture, as well as general feedback and comments from each individual question found within the survey.

After breaking for lunch, the steering group and I considered the possibility of producing our findings into the form of charter to present to the industry with our evidence and key asks. We looked at the common themes and generated 5 or 6 key asks which will be developed into a first draft, conducted by myself, over the next few weeks. Through this, we also created a timeframe for the following 4 months to measure our progress which continues on into the New Year.

Key Dates

Here is a timeline of some key dates and deadlines
for Envision during the upcoming months:

Monday, 10th November 2014

First draft of the charter to be completed,
which I'll be leading on and composing.

Monday, 17th November 2014

Final comments from the steering group regarding the drafted charter to be sent in by this deadline. Teleconference in the evening with the entire steering group.

Monday, 1st December 2014

Charter finalised and signed off.

Monday, 5th January 2015

Identify contacts to draft meeting letters to.

January 2015 - February 2015

Identify the next campaign areas we wish to work on, and collect feedback and comments from the wider network. The shortlist can be presented in an electronic format, via SurveyMonkey, for users to vote on their preferable campaigning area. Deadline by February 2015.


The suggestion of 'coffee mornings' was brought up, to be conducted among VI groups or friends, which could be a really useful platform to gather any further key points we wish to draw up for the charter. The coffee mornings could be promoted through blind and visually impaired societies and charities, local talking newspapers and social media.

The steering group and I then generated some ideas of next year's campaign and how to canvas the views of all members within the wider network. The issue of DSA - Disabled Students' Allowances came up quite a lot and may be the leading topic that we wish to include in the shortlist to send out to the wider network to vote on and campaign for. This can be done through SurveyMonkey and sent out via e-mail and social media. Similarly, looking at the steering group for the upcoming year, we could also add a nominations section to the SurveyMonkey so that the entire network can have their say regarding their steering group members.

To conclude our meeting, we conversed about the first year of Envision (which was celebrating its first Birthday, to the exact day, on Thursday, 23rd October - a year since our Parliamentary visit and launch of the network itself) and reflected on the progress we have made so far in our campaign. Each member of the steering group shared their experience of personal development achieved over the past year thanks to Envision.

I have benefitted so much from my involvement with Envision over this past year. My confidence has grown in leaps and bounds, I'm able to address a whole room regarding statistics, quotes and research I've gathered, I've honed my organisational skills, and in particular, my social media skills; documenting each meeting and teleconference via my blog and then promoting through the Envision Facebook page and the Twitter page, which I created and regularly maintain.

I'm looking forward to my next year working with Envision and hope to witness even more progress from our network!

Useful Links

• E-mail • Facebook • Twitter • All Envision Blog Posts • Envision Microsite • Envision Launch • Envision Steering Group • Our First Campaign • YouTube Video • Insight Radio Interview

Envision & VCC Teleconference: 6th October

Last night I chaired my first teleconference with VCC's (Volunteer Campaign Co-Ordinators) and campaigners from across England, two of which are members of Envision - both steering group and wider network, attending the call.

The teleconference was designed as a focus group; an alternate channel of gathering views and experiences, rather than solely through our mystery shopper survey that we've been circulating via social media recently. Everyone on the call had a specific interest in the issue of accessible menus in coffee shops - as well as staff awareness training and less cluttered layouts.

As chair, it was my job to introduce Envision and the work that we do as well lay some ground rules for the teleconference, outline the agenda and ensure that it's followed closely, have good time-keeping and make sure that everyone has had the chance to speak and give their views.

After going through most of the key questions on our mystery shopper survey and collecting a stronger body of evidence from the campaigners on the call, I also encouraged responses for improvements which can be used on our charter to present to the industry.

Some great points were raised, especially around the coffee shop layout; ensuring that there's a clear passage through to the counter, making sure the the counter is as obvious as possible (not right at the back of the store!), ensuring there is a consistent layout throughout all stores pertaining to that particular chain, good lighting for those with low vision, ensuring chairs are securely placed underneath tables, and outside tables and chairs are cordoned off with a metal bar that long canes can detect.

You can provide your own responses and help Envision build a stronger campaign - for accessible coffee shop menus, staff awareness and overall positive experiences - by completing our short survey located at SurveyMonkey, here. Our feedback can then be collated and designed into a charter which the steering group will be focusing on during our London meeting on October 23rd.

Useful Links

• E-mail • Facebook • Twitter • All Envision Blog Posts • Envision Microsite • Envision Launch • Envision Steering Group • Our First Campaign • YouTube Video • Insight Radio Interview

Envision Teleconference: Comms Sub-Group

The communications sub-group members of the Envision steering group held a teleconference tonight, with discussion focused around the coffee shop survey responses that we circulated recently as well as discussion of the charter that we will be drawing up to present, our use of social media, and so on.

As always, I helped to take the minutes during the phone call to share with everyone else via Facebook and Twitter; to keep you up-to-date with all things Envision!

Mystery Shopper Surveys / Questionnaires

27 responses have been received altogether so far, with one more in the process of being completed (I was contacted via e-mail by someone who had read my article in the Henshaws Hello! newsletter and will complete the coffee shop mystery shopper survey ASAP). More could have been completed by those who undertook the mystery shopping itself, but haven't sent them off to the Envision mailbox yet. Two VCC teleconferences will take place to share ideas on how to promote and gain further responses to the coffee shop surveys.

Future Teleconferences

The Co-chairs of Envision (Nina, Tom and myself) will be having a teleconference on October 1st, and there will also be two VCC (Volunteer Campaign Co-ordinator) teleconferences on October 6th to discuss further survey responses and the charter. I will be attending the second VCC teleconference in the evening.

Coffee Shop Charter
The campaigns planning sub-group had their teleconference on September 15th (minutes from the call will be circulated soon) to hold discussion around the charter. Some members have e-mailed ideas already, and further discussion will be provided by VCC's during their two teleconferences on October 6th.

Social Media
Discussion was had regarding our social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter; both of which are doing really well, receiving strong interest and going from strength to strength. They are both interesting platforms to communicate and network with and make our presence known online. Our Twitter account now has 102 followers! The Facebook Friday rota will be discussed during our London meeting on October 23rd. I am also very happy to support anyone who needs help with setting up social media accounts and learning the basics, and could possibly hold a workshop during our London meeting.

London Meeting at Judd Street
The steering group will be meeting on October 23rd at the RNIB headquarters in Judd Street, London. This will be an excellent opportunity to catch up and discuss topics such as social media, the funding application (which is currently being redefined and redeveloped), as well as the charter and survey responses. If there is enough time, ideas for the next campaign could also be discussed and developed.

Useful Links

• E-mail • Facebook • Twitter • All Envision Blog Posts • Envision Microsite • Envision Launch • Envision Steering Group • Our First Campaign • YouTube Video • Insight Radio Interview

Envision Teleconference: Tuesday, August 19th

The Envision steering group and I had a teleconference tonight to touch base with each other on how our progress is going regarding distributing the coffee shop mystery shopping questionnaire, and to also start discussion on our next steps in the campaigning process for accessible menus in coffee shops.

I have so far promoted the questionnaire through the Envision Facebook page and Twitter page and I have also used Henshaws Society for Blind People's quarterly Hello! Newsletter to present the questionnaire to service users, as well as their online e-mail mailing list.

You can help with Envision's campaign for accessible menus, in the 4 main coffee chains in the UK, by downloading the survey form here and detailing your past experiences when choosing what to purchase without an accessible menu provided. You are free to share with other visually impaired friends and family members too; the more responses, the stronger our voice!

Responses are to be sent to the Envision mailbox (envision@rnib.org.uk) by September 12th.

Here are my notes from tonight's teleconference!

• Recap of last meeting's agenda

What key points from the agenda had been signed off and completed. Action plans - discussion of the learning points from the Campaigner's Convention that have been received so far, any outstanding ones are to be completed ideally by the end of the week and e-mailed to Lindsay. These will be compiled into one document to then be e-mailed to the steering group as an attachment.

• Questionnaire

Now signed off and being distributed. Kimberley has shared it with the Henshaws mailing list, Henshaws Hello! Newsletter (Autumn edition) and through Envision's Facebook and Twitter pages, Naomi has shared it with the RLSB group and Nina will be sharing with Focus and the Birmingham Actioneers. The campaigns planning group will then sift through the responses, identify key themes, e-mail out the evidence and promote the findings to implement into our campaigning. Aim for September 12th to have all questionnaires sent back.

• Update to the wider network

Discussion around the update to be sent out to the wider Envision network which is now signed off. Agreement to keep communications regular, possibly monthly as a guideline, but be flexible to whenever seems appropriate to share important news items and issues. Rotate the duty of writing updates between each other, particularly comms and co-chairs, to provide everyone with the opportunity to write something. September 19th is penciled in for the next update.

• Charter

The bus charter used in the 'Stop for Me, Speak to Me' campaign was sent out as an attachment recently, to use as a foundation and a formula for our own coffee shop charter. We need to identify what our asks are and to think internally as to what the best mechanisms are. For example, do we just want to focus on menus or look at the whole package of the coffee shop experience? Do we want VI awareness training implemented into the manual, included in a full training day or slotting into the half-day training session?

Once identified we can build our asks around those. Cover the key areas, keep consistent to the focus and responses received in the questionnaires and be logical when pulling all of this evidence and information together under headings to then translate when presenting to providers. It was agreed to draft something for the charter and ideally have something to agree on in time for our October meeting in London. This will enable us to have the charter then signed off and put our focus into planning and lobbying the industry.

Two suggestions came up in the teleconference - one was that we could suggest that each store has a designated supporter for visually impaired people. Looking at the bus campaign, using their charter as a guide, a champion is mentioned to oversee that visually impaired people have found their seat, are aware of the bus number and destination, that drivers do not pull away from a bus stop, etc. We could use similar points, tailored to coffee shops. Another suggestion was to perhaps reach out to a contact within the environment and industry to give their input too, and to help with research in regards to what coffee shops currently provide.

• Upcoming Teleconferences

Teleconferences in the near future, include; one for the Campaigns Planning group on Monday, 15th September between 7pm and 8pm, one for the Communications sub-group held on Wednesday, 24th September between 5:30pm to 6:30pm, and the Co-chairs will have their teleconference on Wednesday, 1st October (time to be decided nearer to the date). Ideally 4 members from each group would be beneficial, though if one or two can't attend then we will try to keep things moving forward as much as possible rather than rescheduling. It just provides the opportunity to touch base with each other, though between those times do feel free to keep in touch and converse, and give input regarding important items.

• Meeting in London

Our next face-to-face meeting will be on Thursday, 23rd October from 11pm to 3pm at Judd Street. Think about the agenda and discussion points you'd like to include; discussion of drafted charter, the practicalities of how to get chains signed up to the charter and the area of focus for the next campaign.

• Next Campaign

Think about putting the question out to the wider network, in the next e-mail update perhaps, of what they think the next campaign should be focused around (employment and built environments were mentioned during the teleconference). This allows them to feel more involved and empowered, in the confidence that they have contributed. Ask that question beforehand prior to the October meeting. Follow it up again through e-mail, and even through social media, to push for more responses.

Useful Links

• E-mail • Facebook • Twitter • All Envision Blog Posts • Envision Microsite • Envision Launch • Envision Steering Group • Our First Campaign • YouTube Video • Insight Radio Interview

Envision Teleconference: 3rd July 2014

The Envision Steering Group and I had a teleconference tonight, from 6pm to 7pm, to follow-up from the Campaigner's Convention that we attended recently and to give initial thoughts on the key learning points for Envision to implement into the coffee shop campaign that we are currently working on.

I have been appointed to the position of Co-Chair, as well as still being a member of the communications team, after the departure of Adele Waterfall-Brown. I took notes during the teleconference which you can read below:


Campaigner's Convention Follow-Up

Steering Group discussed initial thoughts and a follow-up to the RNIB's Campaigner's Convention. Group members all agree that it was a fantastic opportunity to meet with like-minded people and, at the same time, different in terms of their perspectives, experiences and approach to campaigning and we learned a lot from them. The social aspect was great to build our networks, both in terms of friends and campaigning. It was a very empowering event to see the impact of all of the different campaigns and to look at the bigger picture of campaigning - it does make a difference and is such a positive thing. It's vital to keep going and persevere, there is plenty of time to achieve your goals - do not rush when campaigning!

Online Portal / Learning Hub

For those who could not attend the Campaigner's Convention, the RNIB are working on an online portal where you can access the information and notes from all of the workshops and the open space sessions that took place during the convention's weekend.

Key Learning Points

Attendees should e-mail key learning points to the rest of the Steering group within the next week or so, if at all possible; providing a few bullet points of what they have learned from the Open Space sessions and / or workshops that can be of use to Envision and what skills or knowledge can be applied to our own campaigning work of the coffee shop campaign. Kimberley Burrows has written a blog post regarding the weekend's workshops and open space sessions that she attended.

New Members & Positions!

Adele Waterfall-Brown has parted ways with Envision due to her heavy workload; setting up her own business and planning her wedding. We have welcomed Naomi Stevenson from Royal Tunbridge Wells to the Steering Group, who will fill Adele's former position in the Campaigns Planning sub-group. Naomi attended the Campaigner's Convention and expressed her interest to join Envision, and has previously worked with Mohammed Mohsan-Ali from London. Kimberley Burrows, from Manchester, has filed Adele's former position as Co-Chair, alongside Tom and Nina. A list of who is in each sub-group will be circulated again, with the new members who have filled recent vacated posts.

Upcoming Teleconferences

The next teleconference, among the Campaigns Planning sub-group, will take place on July 16th at 2pm. There was discussion of Hugh Huddy possibly joining this teleconference or perhaps even some others in the near future.

Amended Mystery Shopper Survey

Signed off the amended questionnaire, which members can now distribute throughout their own networks; Action Connect, Henshaws Society for Blind People, Transport for London, etc. which can also work as a recruitment exercise; generating momentum and interest in Envision. In regards to the questionnaire, it may also be useful to add an age-bracket question towards the beginning, as it may be beneficial to ask all age groups about their experiences at coffee shops. This will gather more feedback and will tie into some of the target audiences of the other main coffee shops; Costa Coffee having a larger number of middle-aged females in the demographic of customers and Cafe Nero targeting older males. The more responses involved with the questionnaire - the louder the voice for change of accessible menus.

Wider Network

Discussion of the Facebook page, Facebook Friday and the rotor of looking after the page offering similar links of interest and updates from the group. Discussion of communication within the network, via e-mails. Perhaps quarterly main e-mails to the wider network compiling progress so far from each season, with smaller e-mails every 2 or 3 months in-between to keep them updated on everything happening Envision-wise. There are between 50 to 60 members of Envision altogether.

Useful Links

• E-mail • Facebook • Twitter • All Envision Blog Posts • Envision Microsite • Envision Launch • Envision Steering Group • Our First Campaign • YouTube Video • Insight Radio Interview

RNIB Campaigners' Convention 2014

Over the weekend I attended the RNIB Campaigners' Convention 2014, hosted at Aston Business School, in Birmingham. The event attracted over a hundred visually impaired and blind campaigners, of various ages, from all over England and Scotland.

The convention ran from Saturday, 14th June to Sunday, 15th June and was designed to bring together passionate campaigners, build strong networks, share experiences and

gain new skills from the various workshops on offer over the duration of the 2 day weekend.

On our way up to Birmingham for campaigner convention this weekend. Will be live tweeting, very excited! Kat C #rnibcc14
— RNIB Campaigns (@RNIB_campaigns) June 13, 2014

After arriving into Birmingham by train at 11:35am, I took a taxi with another campaigner from the North West and headed up to Aston Business School. I was guided into the building to register my attendance and confirm the workshops and surgeries that I would like to attend. I was very interested in the social media surgery and the 'Travellers Tales' campaigner experience session on the first day, as well as the 'Getting the Most from Your Local Media' and 'Winning or Losing: the Art and Science of the Killer Campaign Strategy' workshops on the second day.

The campaigners and I had a buffet lunch to start with, while we introduced ourselves to those sitting around our tables and began to network with one another; finding out about our previous campaign work and what we hoped to achieve in the future. I was approached by quite a few people who were interested in learning more about Envision: a young person's campaigning network, that I'm a steering group member of - specialising in communications and social media, working alongside the RNIB. I gladly introduced them to the network and provided a brief overview of the first campaign that we are in the process of setting up.

After lunch, we were welcomed to the event by Steve Winyard, Head of Membership and Campaigns at the RNIB, who thanked us all personally for coming along to the convention and discussed some of the things he hoped we'd get out of it; networking with other campaigners from across the country to build strong campaigning relationships, and a new knowledge of different aspects of campaigning techniques through the various workshops on offer. He also reported on campaigner's achievements over the past 5 years.

Great to see so many blind and partially sighted campaigners in one room. Really good discussions already! pic.twitter.com/pErBgfG2t8
— RNIB Campaigns (@RNIB_campaigns) June 14, 2014

Michael Wilson, Campaigns Manager at the RNIB, gave an introduction of the Open Space concept - what it is, how we will be arranging and attending the discussions and the proposal of topics for exploration. An Open Space can be a very powerful tool for engaging large groups of people in discussions to explore particular issues or questions. Each table in the main conference hall would correspond to a particular issue or question, with RNIB staff based at each table to take notes of discussion and suggestions to then feed back later. Campaigners were free to move from one table to the next if they wished to partake in a different topic.

Campaigner Experience Sessions were next. These were issue-based workshops and networking sessions, led by Volunteer Campaign Co-odinators and supported by a Regional Campaigns Officers, to give the opportunity to hear directly from other campaigners about what worked well, what lessons were learnt and also to gain some tips for effective campaigning for future use. 

I chose to attend the 'Travellers Tales - Making Transport Accessible' session. Other workshops on the Saturday included 'Fighting for Safer Streets' with stories from Rose and Mohammed, 'Tackling Street Clutter' with experiences shared by Charlotte and Judith, 'Health - Campaigning for Improved Access to Hospitals' lead by Mike and Padma, and 'Support at the Time of Sight Loss' with stories shared by Terri, Elaine and Peter.

Travellers Tales:
Making Transport Accessible

From the delegate pack: "In this session, you will find out what motivated Bernie and Peter to start their own successful campaigning journeys for accessible travel. The lessons they learned along the way prove that campaigning is as much an art as a science, but there are tips and techniques that we can all use to improve our chances of success."

After being welcomed to this Campaigner Experience Session lead by Bernie and Peter, Peter took the floor and began discussion of his successful past campaign regarding accessible transport in his local area. He initially campaigned for announcements on board the train, as they were not making any announcements on stations, to let him know what current stops he was at or making his way towards. He contacted the metro company asking why they had switched off announcements after 6pm and discovered that the reason was due to noise nuisance - the local people living near to the station had complained many times in the past. In effect, this meant that VI people could not travel after 6pm.

In the particular incident that he had experienced, Peter boarded a train but had no prior announcement that it was out of service. He and another man had boarded and were off on their journey, but suddenly they had stopped - the driver had locked the train, the lights were switched off and they were in an overnight depot in complete darkness. As Peter had his mobile phone with him, the first thing he did was contact his local media and phone BBC Look North. This was the start of what brought about change; he was quick-thinking with wanting to contact the local media directly and overnight the media were setting up times to meet, arrange interviews and take photographs of Peter and the station.

By 8am the next morning, there was a full-page spread story on the incident. The media were essentially working for Peter at that point - ringing the hotlines to contact the managers and question them - helping him tremendously with his campaign work. It was discovered that the management of the company had gone home at 6pm, completely oblivious to what had happened.

Despite the media coverage of this incident, Peter found that they still kept switching off the system at 6pm - and he continuously went back to the media to report on this. With support from the RNIB and the Disabilities Commission, he took action and received compensation at court and the driver was disciplined. What started was the acceptance on behalf of the train company for VI people so that they could travel safely on a train network - particularly after 6pm. We now have comprehensive automated announcements on trains and platforms throughout the country, but the campaign continues in terms of monitoring and feeding back on progress and other related incidents.

Top tips from Peter - Never be afraid to contact the local media when you have a good story and an engaging campaigning issue, don't be afraid to speak out, and try to have the numbers of the local media outlets stored in your phone so that you call them directly for ease of access.

Bernie, a Volunteer Campaigner Co-ordinator, shared her many experiences with transport next and told of how campaigning for her issues greatly benefitted her day-to-day life. The first incident she shared was of how a taxi driver of a private car hire company refused her and her Guide Dog because of religious objections. She wanted to take her son, who is also blind, to an appointment at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, but the driver was adamant not to collect them because of her Guide Dog at the time, Orla, and left both mother and son stranded. He was the first mini-cab driver to be convicted under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

She recalled of another recent campaigning success during the Stop for Me, Speak to Me campaign - encouraging councillors from her local area to travel on a bus blindfolded to experience first-hand the issues that blind and visually impaired people face when using public transport. Bernie received a national award for her contribution of getting free bus-travel for people with sight loss in her area.

Top tips from Bernie: You need to gather evidence to support your campaign; find information to support and give the campaign weight and give it solidity and objectives. Involving local decision-makers, such as councillors, helps to gain publicity and also builds strong relationships and trust within your local community. 

Having a fun time so far with @RNIB_campaigns at their Campaigner's Convention 2014! Lovely to meet so many new people!
— Kimberley Burrows (@Glittered) June 14, 2014

Next on the agenda was an hour-long session with Steve Winyard (Head of Membership and Campaigns), Leslie-Ann Alexander (CEO of the RNIB), Fazilet Hadi (Group Director, Inclusive Society Group) and Ellie Southwood (RNIB's Board of Trustees, Vice Chair) regarding the next 5 years of challenges and opportunities in the campaigning landscape.

Steve Winyard gave an overview of the campaigns over the next strategy period, of 2014 to 2019, the biggest being the I Am Here campaign - ensuring that people are properly supported at the time of sight loss. A Q&A session followed with Leslie-Ann Alexander, Fazilet Hadi and Ellie Southwood. Questions given by the room focused on the recent merger of campaigns and membership within the RNIB and its benefits, whether Guide Dogs and the RNIB will work together in the future, cost-effectiveness, and whether issues can be tackled quicker than the proposed 5 years.

Following this sessions, there was an update from Tara Chattaway, Campaigns Officer for Social Care, regarding the Cut Out of Care campaign followed by a group campaigns stunt and photo opportunity to support the campaign, posted via Twitter, which can be seen below:

43% of people with sight loss in England are #CutOutOfCare. Campaigners call on @normanlamb to fix this with care act pic.twitter.com/wffwPmlpDF
— RNIB Campaigns (@RNIB_campaigns) June 15, 2014

I was also provided with my own photo opportunity to help support the social campaign, which was also posted via Twitter and retweeted by the official RNIB and RNIB Campaigns accounts:

Open Space Session

It was then time for the Open Space session, consisting of constructive open discussion chosen by delegates regarding topics they were passionate about. These included; accessible transport and built environments, perceptions of blind and visually impaired people, employment, and the discussion of hate crime.

I attended the built environments discussion to start with which was lead by Hugh Huddy, Policy Manager at the RNIB. Discussion was based around crossings, beacons, lifts and stairs, walkways with tactile markings - or lack thereof! - and the accessibility of stations belonging to trams, tubes, trains and buses.

To start with there were a shared experiences from a campaigners. The first knew of a very dangerous crossing with no accessibility features in the area. Another campaigner shared the difficulties they face in a shared space area with uneven pavements and cobbled stones. A third campaigner spoke of an accident they had along a pavement in their local area and how they contacted their local council, to no avail. Hugh took notes and invited those campaigners to draw up ways they would like to see those local crossings and pavements rectified.

I moved onto a different table focused on the issue of perceptions of blind and visually impaired people next. Discussion included what we can do as VI people to help change the public's perceptions, representations in the media - particularly soap operas, who currently portray a VI person and a wheelchair user - and how they have benefitted or hindered misconceptions and stereotypes. There was also talk of utilising the December 3rd Disability Awareness week to do more for the sight-impaired, arranging days similar to the Guide Dogs Fun Days to raise awareness, setting up a sensory-impaired week - rather than having a disability week, presenting positivity and optimism to the public rather than the negativity surrounding our disability.

After the hour of Open Space discussions had concluded, we then had some free time to go up to our rooms and freshen up for dinner. I unpacked items from my case to organise my room for ease of access, went over the notes on my iPad from the sessions so far, caught up with friends and family on social media and proceeded to get ready for dinner.

Before the evening meal, there was a joint-speech by members of Envision - Adele from Dalington and Fran from Wigan - explaining the formation of the campaigning network and the first campaign that we are setting up presently, regarding accessible menus in the 4 main coffee chains in the UK. After my three-course vegetarian meal, I went straight to bed as I was so tired after a busy day of travelling and note-taking! The first day was fantastic and I was looking forward to an even more productive day in the morning!

Another dawn, another day of campaigner's convention! #rnibcc14
— RNIB Campaigns (@RNIB_campaigns) June 15, 2014

After heading down to breakfast and checking out of our rooms, it was time for the first plenary of the day - the Accessible Streets campaign. This provided us with the opportunity to discover more about the campaign and to help develop the RNIB's street charter. The expert panel consisted of Hugh Huddy (Policy Manager), Samantha Fothergill (Senior Legal Officer) and Tracy Dearing (RCO of Yorkshire & Humber), chaired by Michael Wilson (Regional Campaigns Manager).

Accessible Streets Campaign

Hugh Huddy began discussion on the various issues that are faced with street clutter; built environments, beacons that are not installed properly, wheelie bins, lack of tactile markings, lack of pavements, and so on. Centralisation is out of fashion within the government and localisation is in, so this needs to be incorporated into the new business strategy. There needs to be a street charter setting a standard across the country which is clear and universal.

Samantha Fothergill explained how the law can be used to assist in campaigning this issue using two main pieces of legislation - the Equality Act and the Highways Act. Local authorities have a duty to keep the highway free from obstruction, which is a very significant principal as it is a criminal offence to obstruct the highway.

Regarding the Equality Act, there are two aspects to it; the first is the duty to the public, the second is the accessibility of the highway. It is their duty to have regard to the impact on equality. Absolutely everything they do, from planning decisions to prosecution decisions, must have consideration of the impact on equality. In regards to pavement parking and wheelie bins, it is an offence to obstruct the pavement and discriminative to block a disabled person who is not capable of moving the obstruction - whether a wheelie bin or a pile of bin bags.

The first session of the day is based around street clutter, shared space and built environments @RNIB_campaigns pic.twitter.com/3v1HBIcioS
— Kimberley Burrows (@Glittered) June 15, 2014

Tracy Dearing, RCO of Yorkshire & Humber, has been involved with a lot of campaigning work over the past few years regarding street clutter and built environments. She took the floor to explain how this year is very important for gathering evidence for the campaign. We are coming up to finding out what local authorities have in place, what their policies and their positions are on built environments, what their view of shared space is and how other people are interpreting these ideas.

The RNIB are asking VI people to undertake a survey of how we negotiate our streets to pull together a good campaign. Surveys can be filled in by contacting your local Regional Campaigns Officer for the information. A good campaign relies heavily on evidence, as we have learned in our workshops and discussions in the convention so far.

Table top discussions about what should be on the street charter @RNIB_campaigns pic.twitter.com/rtyBE2eNAC
— Kimberley Burrows (@Glittered) June 15, 2014

From a campaigner's point-of-view, we need clarity around the issue as there are two major organisations involved with the issue - we need to hit all of the targets. The reality is that A-boards are growing in number all over the country, and we need to stop it in its tracks before it gets much worse.
We had a Q&A session with Hugh, Samantha and Tracy around the issue of street clutter and built environments, followed by table-top discussions of what process and policies need to be in the universal street charter. Items included a full stop to A-boards, tactile markings at all kerbs, audible crossings and cones - along with regular maintenance to ensure they are properly installed and in full working order, and a policy on wheelie bins to keep them from obstructing the pavement.
Towards the end of the session, I received a Tweet from Gary O'Donaghue, BBC4's Chief Political Correspondent, who I met at Parliament last year with Envision. I was kindly given the microphone to read out his tweet and he received such a warm response from fellow campaigners! Michael, chairing the session, also joked that he could be the celebrity face of the campaign!

@Glittered Good luck with that. My shins have the imprint of most of London furniture on them
— Gary O'Donoghue (@BlindGazza) June 15, 2014

After a quick break, it was time to start the first of two Campaigns Skills Sessions. This was the opportunity to attend workshops based around: developing a killer campaign strategy, lobbying your MP, working with your local council, getting the most from local media, influencing and networking, and the secrets of storytelling. The first campaign workshop that I would be attending was the 'Getting the Most from your Local Media' workshop lead by Lucy Dixon (RCO for the North East), who originally trained as a journalist and was previously the editorial manager of the Red Cross.

Workshop: Getting the Most from Your Local Media

From the delegate pack: "Getting publicity can transform your campaign, encouraging more people to support you and helping you influence key decision-makers. Find out top tips for getting journalists interested in your campaign, how to handle interviews and help to overcome any concerns you may have about working with the media."
After an introduction to the workshop by Lucy and a brief overview of the benefits that media can bring to a campaign - including increased interest from the public, increased support from organisations, the attention of key decision-makers and local councils - we looked at the ways of how a campaign should look to attract an audience.
To start with, it should have a strong human interest; a strong, personal story that can carry viewers, readers, and listeners. It matters how the issue effects you, other people will sympathise and feel like they want to reach out and establish a connection. To give it that extra weight, it needs to provide statistics and evidence. For example, how many other blind and visually impaired people are in your area that are affected by the issue you are campaigning? How many accidents have there been? The  RNIB has a sight loss data tool that you can easily access on their website which is also very useful to use regarding statistics and evidence, as well as contacting your Regional Campaigns Officer for support.

Now attending the 'Getting the Most from Your Local Media' workshop @RNIB_campaigns pic.twitter.com/8a6rwxJnDF
— Kimberley Burrows (@Glittered) June 15, 2014

Seek help from experts and professionals to back-up your campaign and add that extra weight; these could include a rehab officer, road safety officer, local police, and so on. Strong and powerful quotes from recognisable professionals can really enhance a story. Look at the format and channel that you want to use, and be mindful of ways to adapt to the different media form. Use a good visual story for your medium - for example, the 'Stop for Me, Speak to Me' campaign used television through filming bus-drivers blindfolded to experience what it's like to use public transport as a visually impaired or blind person. It created that strong visual story to engage an audience.
If it's the newspaper that is the format you are using, provide a powerful image to be used next to the column that readers can look at and connect to. Use good visual props, no more than 3 or 4 people, showing the area of concern - a busy road, a bus, a coffee shop, and so on.
Slowly build a relationship with local journalists in your area. Handy tips and tricks include prepararing for interviews with 3 key objectives; constantly refer to them and bring the conversation back to your key aims for consistence and a guideline. Write a press release, compose bullet points, phone before-hand for an outline, follow-up with communication though e-mails and phone calls. Write a letter to an editor of a magazine or newspaper to get your campaign story out there, use the well-read section of the newspaper, use radio phone-ins to target and reach an audience.
Finally, prepare for difficult questions. Ask a friend, colleague or Regional Campaigns Officer to plan difficult questions that may crop up that you can consider and plan ahead for. When undertaking any sort of media work, remember to relax, stay positive, keep returning to your 3 key points, and rehearse well. As with anything, it gets easier the more that you do it.
We concluded the workshop by doing some role play situations of being in an interview setting and utilising the skills that we had just touched upon - asking difficult questions and learning to return to your key messages and bring it back to your original points for consistence and to stay on track. We had the opportunity to be the interviewer and the interviewee, learn new skills and interview styles and identify our strengths and abilities from one other.

Workshop: The Art and Science
of the Killer Campaign Strategy

From the delegate pack: "Inaccessibility and unequal treatment is wrong and triggers powerful emotions; but successful campaigning is much more than knee-jerk reactions. Real change is brought about when there is a cunning strategy behind the passion. In this workshop, we'll discover each other's inner strategist by testing ourselves out in some real world situations which demand a strategic approach for long term success. Core skills for every effective campaigner!"

Just finished lunch, and now attending the Killer Campaign Strategy workshop! @RNIB_campaigns
— Kimberley Burrows (@Glittered) June 15, 2014

After lunch, it was time for the second workshop of the day. This was the most popular workshop on the Sunday, running first in the morning and again in the afternoon, lead by Hugh Huddy - Head of Policy at the RNIB. We began the workshop by open discussion about the inner strategist inside ourselves and how we tackle issues and obstacles on a daily basis without realising the strategy involved. Hugh gave the example of solving a problem with a neighbour and the different approaches that we can undertake - a direct approach, mediation or middle ground, and escalation.

Most of us try for the middle-ground approach first, trying to mediate between the two parties' issues. If you can locate the middle ground between two people or two parties then that is where the starting point lies. It is important to identify when you have found the starting point to something which can then lead to engagement - followed by observation, escalation and dialogue; eliciting dialogue, alternative methods and negotiation.

There is the emotional aspect and personal element to take into consideration when campaigning too. You have to be persistent and be in it for the long haul, it is not something that will be solved overnight. It is also important to take opportunities when they arise, challenge proactively and provide rational arguments to benefit your campaign as much as possible. Try to avoid the path of least resistance for an easy outcome.

Hugh talked about the recent 'Stop for Me, Speak to Me' campaign to conclude the workshop and draw all of the points together - how the starting point came about and how it incorporated all of the aforementioned techniques and skilled such as finding the middle ground, mediating, eliciting dialogue, negotiation and so on.

Thank you to all the campaigners at the convention this weekend, getting nearly 100 VI campaigners in one room was so powerful.
— RNIB Campaigns (@RNIB_campaigns) June 15, 2014

When all delegates had finished their final workshop we entered the main conference hall once more to round-up the convention, conclude on what techniques and skills we had learned over the weekend, had a final key-note from Fazilet Hadi (Group Director of Inclusive Society) and then said our goodbyes before making our way back home.

I want to say a huge thank you to the RNIB for the successful campaigning convention this year, especially to the RNIB staff and RCO's for donating their time during the weekend - and also to the VCC's, particularly the steering group, for tirelessly organising the event.

@Glittered Thank you for coming, and of course a massive thank you for all the campaigning work you do!
— RNIB Campaigns (@RNIB_campaigns) June 16, 2014

For those who attended, there is now an online survey that you can fill in to give feedback on the event itself, as well as the workshops you attended and the Open Space discussions, to make any improvements for future campaigning conferences in the coming years.

I had an absolutely fantastic time, met some really inspiring campaigners from across the country - who have given me reassurance and confidence in my own campaigning - and learned many new skills and techniques that I look forward to incorporating into my own personal campaign work as well as the future work that I do with Envision!

Envision Teleconference: 29th April

After I came back home from my visit to Rivington Barn with the Henshaws arts & crafts group last night, I attended an hour-long teleconference with the rest of the Envision steering group from 6pm to 7pm.

For those that couldn't attend, I made some notes on my iPad during the call to share with them via e-mail this morning so that they are up-to-date with what was discussed during the teleconference. I thought I'd also make a blog post about it to share with the Envision network as a while via the Facebook and Twitter accounts.

We followed an agenda that was e-mailed to us prior to the call and discussed each section and gave suggestions and feedback as a group. The agenda included next steps, keeping in touch with the wider network, maintaining the Twitter and Facebook pages and setting up future meetings.

Next Steps

The first thing for us to think about was next steps in the campaign. Co-chair Nina suggested reaching out to the young members at Action in the West Midlands to get them involved with the mystery shopping survey, as well as young students at the QAC college, perhaps even meeting at a Starbucks so that they can test the service out together and have the staff approach them in the process. The current mystery shopper survey came into question about what we can do to make it more compact; we discussed perhaps offering an incentive (such being entered into a draw for book vouchers, coffee shop vouchers, etc.) and maybe even surveying on past experiences rather than have people going out to the shop itself - which is what may be a barrier for people completing the form for additional visits to other chains.

Wider Network

The next thing on the agenda to discuss was keeping in touch with the wider network especially through our social networking accounts. We've made progress with our Twitter, in that guidelines are currently being drafted which will be shared to those who will be contributing to the Twitter profile. Twitter now has the option to update profiles so that they look slightly different. I've changed Envision's theme to compliment the new layout, which I personally think is a lot nicer and is easier to read - especially in terms of the previous text on top of the header that was used as a brief introduction and could be hard to read without VoiceOver. It has now been removed for those who have activated the new layout.

Social Media

Regarding the Facebook page, it's the same people contributing and commenting and we need to think of ways of involving more people. That could be down to not knowing how to use Facebook, so there are a couple of things that could be done to help. One of our co-chairs, Nina, has a document full of short commands for Facebook mobile which she'll be e-mailing to everyone, and also at the campaigner's convention in June there may be opportunities to have a social media workshop. I myself am a very keen Facebook and Twitter user, so if anyone ever needs any help I will be very glad to assist as well.

In regards to keeping in touch with the wider Envision network, I suggested perhaps having a short newsletter to send to everyone via post in their preferred format so that we're not just relying on e-mail as a form of communication. Getting these printed in preferred formats, such as Braille, can take a little while to produce so will need to be prepared in advance - but it's certainly something to think about. Another way of keeping in touch with everyone could be to send a short summary about what we've been doing via e-mail to circulate to the wider network and keep them updated and involved.

Future Meetings & Teleconferences

We then discussed setting up future meetings and I believe the time period we decided on was to have teleconferences with each of our own subgroups every 3-4 weeks and then have a teleconference with the wider steering group every 6-8 weeks. As a group, we would like to have dates in advance so that we have them ready in our diaries so that events don't clash and so we have some prep time beforehand.

Envision's next meeting will be over the weekend of the 14th and 15th of June during the campaigner's convention in Birmingham. It should be a really productive and educational weekend and I will of course keep you updated on the event!

Outreach & Networking

We talked about other campaigning networks, such as Haggeye (who we met in October) and Trailblazers, and how they can help us as a newly formed group. They will be more than happy to help and offer experience from their past campaigning work and we shouldn't be afraid to approach them and ask for advice.

Envision Paragraph

The final thing up for discussion was the paragraph that the comms group recently submitted, to be used in media, speeches and other forms of communication when introducing our campaigning group. It needs minor tweaking which will be done over the course of the next few weeks and then that will be finalised and ready to use.

Useful Links

• E-mail • Facebook • Twitter • All Envision Blog Posts • Envision Microsite • Envision Launch • Envision Steering Group • Our First Campaign • YouTube Video • Insight Radio Interview

Envision Steering Group Campaign Skills Training Day

Last Thursday, on April 10th, the Envision Steering Group met at the RNIB HQ, at Judd Street in London, for a campaign skills training day. It was led by our co-chairs of the network, Adele and Tom, with help from the regional campaigns officers from across England. The aims of the day were to be able to think through a campaigning issue and identify a plan of action to meet the goal, have a knowledge of the five golden rules of campaigning and have confidence to guide local campaigners on campaigning techniques.

We began the session by introducing ourselves to everyone and each providing a ground rule to add to a list for us to follow throughout the rest of the session. Aims of the day and the agenda were also presented by the co-chairs of the network. After the introduction, each member of the steering group gave a small presentation regarding a different golden rule of campaigning, assigned to them before the day, briefly discussing what the particular rule is, how it can be implemented into a campaign, and giving insight into their own experiences of past campaign work.

We then moved onto a group activity, led by the regional campaigns officers, and divided into small groups of three to plan the actions we would undertake in the example scenario given to us. I worked with Fran, from the campaigns planning sub-group, and we were presented with the scenario of obstructive A-boards outside shops. We planned the process of the campaign we would undertake in this situation, incorporating the five golden rules as our framework and outline - identifying whether a campaign was needed for this issue, setting our objectives, defining the target audience, pinpointing key people and groups to involve, making links between the core aim and their interests and concerns, how we would gather accurate evidence and research statistics, how to define good timing, build solid partnerships and measure success.

After lunch, we finalised our campaign plan and jotted down notes to present to the group as a whole. Each group then gave feedback on their scenario to rest of the steering group, discussing the situation they were given and outlining the structure they would operate to meet the campaign goal.

Hugh Huddy from the campaigns team at the RNIB, who we met at the previous steering group meeting in February, then entered the room to hear some of the feedback on our campaigning scenarios and asked whether we now felt more confident after planning our first campaign outline. I must admit that I do feel a lot more self-assured and optimistic about planning a campaign action plan now, whereas before I was a little uncertain - as I had never had the chance to draft one before. Hugh gave some insight into his experiences with campaigning and shared with us that he too was nervous to begin with when it came to campaigning - so this was a relief for us to hear!

We briefly discussed the coffee shop 'mystery shopping' results, submitted from the Envision network so far, defining which areas need to be improved for accessibility (menus, staff awareness, staff training). Thinking about the activity we had just completed, we thought about the next steps we need to take now that we have gathered evidence. We also discussed the recent Business Boomers programme from the iPlayer and how we can integrate some of the things that were mentioned in it into our campaign.

It was then time to recap on the ground rules, the aims of the day, whether we had achieved everything that we planned to, and then wrap up the day's campaigning skills session. The Envision steering group will be having 2 teleconferences on the 28th and 29th of April to recap on the day in London and the next steps that we want to take with our campaigns planning.

Useful Links

• E-mail • Facebook • Twitter • All Envision Blog Posts • Envision Microsite • Envision Launch • Envision Steering Group • Our First Campaign • YouTube Video • Insight Radio Interview

Steering Group Meeting in London

On Monday 17th February, Envision's steering group had its first meeting at the RNIB HQ in Judd Street, London. The eight members of the group travelled from various points across England, including Manchester, Wigan, Darlington, Swansea, Essex, and Birmingham, to attend the meeting and to help shape the first campaign - accessible menus in coffee shops and improved support for visually impaired and blind customers.

Firstly the steering group, including myself, had a brief recap of the Five Golden Rules of campaigning, as well as discussing our first campaign in more detail. We went over the mystery shopper results that have been sent in so far (20 in total), and then discussed a brief overview of the findings. My mystery shopper results for 3 of the 4 main coffee shops (Costa Coffee, Starbucks and Cafe Nero) can be found by clicking here

Roles and Responsibilities

We then talked about roles and sub-groups within the steering group itself, dividing ourselves to work more efficiently in areas that we feel we are skilled in or would like to learn more about. I personally love social media, so became one of the first members to volunteer for the communications sub-group. The groups and members are as follows:

Chairs / Co-Chairs
• Kimberley Burrows
• Nina Davis
• Tom Church

Secretariat
• Lucy Hayward

Communications
• Kimberley Burrows
• Mohammed Mohsan-Ali
• Sean Barlow
• Lucy Hayward

Campaigns Planning
• Francesca Balon
• Nina Davis
• Naomi Stevenson
• Tom Church

Hugh Huddy, a member of the RNIB campaigns team, joined our discussion towards the end of the session, giving us a new perspective on how to approach a campaign. He also told us about questioning a company's audience through their slogan and quotes they use on their website, and how we can use that to our advantage.

We will be having a series of teleconferences among the sub-groups at the beginning of March. More information can be found about our steering group planning day by clicking here at the official RNIB website.

Envision on Twitter

As a member of the new Communications sub-group, specialising in social media, I decided to create a Twitter account for the Envision network recently. I wanted our Twitter handle to match that of the Facebook page set up by the RNIB campaigning team, EnvisionEngland, to dispel any confusion with too many different usernames. I designed the layout in Photoshop, uploaded the first group shot of our campaigning network and tweeted some of the most important information regarding our group and first campaign, with links to the RNIB website. I will continue to tweet on behalf of the rest of Envision until the Communications teleconference on March 13th, when we can discuss sharing the account and deciding when to tweet so we don't overlap information. We've received support and retweets so far from the official RNIB account!

Useful Links

• E-Mail • Facebook • Twitter • Microsite • The Launch of Envision • Envision Steering Group • Our First Campaign • YouTube Video • Insight Radio Interview

Coffee Shop Mystery Shopper Results

Envision recently embarked on a "mystery shopper" experience, secretly testing out whether the 4 main coffee chains (Starbucks, Costa Coffee, Cafe Nero and Pret a Manger) are accessible enough for visually impaired and blind customers in their local areas - either through offering accessible menus (large print and braille) or through additional support and service. This enables us to gather evidence for our first campaign. Here are my findings:

Costa Coffee

Shop location:
The Lowry Outlet

Date and time of visit:
Tuesday, 7th January 2014 at roughly 4:30pm

Were you at the coffee shop alone or with a friend / family member?:
I never shop alone, so was with my mum at the Lowry Outlet - but had her stray behind me in the coffee shop to make it look as though I was on my own and would therefore need full assistance from the staff, rather than relying on my mum to read the menu out for me as she usually would do.

Were staff easy to identify and helpful?:
They weren't easy to identify, I have to admit, but they were very helpful to me.

Were the staff able to provide you with an accessible menu?:

I asked for an accessible menu and was provided with both a large print and Braille menu.

If the coffee shop did not have an accessible menu, was any alternative support offered? (e.g. a member of staff reading out the menu to you): N/A

If you were not provided with a menu or offered support, how did you choose the items you wished to purchase?: N/A

If you were offered a menu in an accessible format, was the menu: (Please tick any of the following that apply)

In date: 

Of good quality: ✓

Include all items available on the main menu, including details of special offers and promotions:

It was of good quality, and enabled me to choose the drink that I wanted. I'm not entirely sure if included everything on the main menu, but it did seem to include the main staple drinks such as a hot chocolate, americano, espresso, etc. and I believe the large print included some holiday flavours such as caramel and toffee nut lattes.

If you were provided with an accessible menu, did you feel it enabled you to have the same level of service as other customers?:

Yes, I was able to read the menu on my own for the first time in its entirety and it was quite exciting for me to have access to that information. Usually my mum or dad will read parts of the menu out to me, reading out drinks they know that I like, none of us knowing that there were accessible menus available as they've never been offered to me before at Costa.

Did the staff demonstrate any awareness of how to support a blind or partially sighted customer? (e.g. guiding, language etc):

Yes, the member of staff who served me offered an arm to guide me to a table, helped me identify the chair, and then handed me the large print and Braille menus. I was given time to read the Braille menu and find what I wanted to order (the large print was too small for me) and then came back to ask if everything was okay with the information and asked what I would like to order. When I picked a coffee, she let me know of any additional toppings that I could have and brought it over for me, which was extremely kind as It saved me from queueing up and struggling to balance holding my tray and using a cane at the same time. I was also offered additional help from a customer who was sat nearby, and she told me that that her brother has sight loss too.

How did you find your experience?:

I really enjoyed my experience (and my drink!) and was pleasantly surprised by the staff and how aware they were and how trained they seemed to be. I didn't go in with any expectations, but have to say that I was really pleased with their support and service. I also enjoyed talking with the elderly customer who also helped me and it was lovely that she wanted to introduce herself and talk to me and find out more about my visual impairment. I left a tip for the staff in the large tip mug that they have, after asking if they accepted them and they helped to identify the tip mug for me.

Would you return to this coffee shop in future?:

Absolutely! I occasionally visit Costa Coffee already as they are connected to a lot of ODEON cinemas and I go to the cinema a few times a year with my dad, or when I'm out shopping with my mum. Now that I know that they have accessible menus available, especially Braille, and that the staff are well trained and aware of blind and visually impaired customers, I will definitely visit again in the near future.

Any other comments and suggestions for improvements?:

Due to the background noise in coffee shops, it can be very hard to hear what the staff are saying at times. I think hearing loops installed into the main coffee chains would be extremely beneficial to those who are hard of hearing with hearing aids, as they are with other places such as banks and supermarket help desks. It would help if the staff could identify themselves better as I had no idea where they were when I was first walking into the coffee shop. I think it would also be nice to be offered an accessible menu rather than having to ask for one, I had no idea that Costa even had Braille menus because they'd never been offered to me before even though my UV glasses and long cane are big clues that I'm severely visually impaired.

Marks out of 10 for your experience:
9/10

I tweeted my thanks to Costa Coffee for such a lovely experience and service, and received a response in return:

— Costa Coffee (@CostaCoffee) January 14, 2014

Starbucks

Shop location:
The Trafford Centre

Date and time of visit:

Thursday, 23rd January 2014 at roughly 3:15pm

Were you at the coffee shop alone or with a friend / family member?:

I never shop alone, so was with my mum at the Trafford Centre - but had her stray behind me in the coffee shop to make it look as though I was on my own and would therefore need full assistance from the staff, rather than relying on my mum to read the menu out for me as she usually would do.

Were staff easy to identify and helpful?:

They weren't easy to identify and the counter wasn't very easy to identify either as the shop was so crowded (my mum had to lead me to the counter). It was quite hard to hear where the staff were due to the background noise.

Were the staff able to provide you with an accessible menu?:

No, they didn't have a braille or large print menu available. They apologised for that.

If the coffee shop did not have an accessible menu, was any alternative support offered? (e.g. a member of staff reading out the menu to you):

A member of staff didn't read out the menu, but asked what I would like to have instead. I picked hot chocolate, and he went through the different sizes and syrups and recommended his favourite. He also let me hold some cups to help me to decide what size I would like to have.

If you were not provided with a menu or offered support, how did you choose the items you wished to purchase?:

I said what sort of drink I would like to have, and then variations were explained such as having additional whipped cream and a variety of syrups included in the drink. The member of staff's favourite was highly recommended so I went with that option - hot chocolate with caramel syrup.

If you were offered a menu in an accessible format, was the menu in date, of good quality, include all items available on the main menu: N/A

If you were provided with an accessible menu, did you feel it enabled you to have the same level of service as other customers?: N/A

Did the staff demonstrate any awareness of how to support a blind or partially sighted customer? (e.g. guiding, language etc):

The member of staff offered to help lead me to a table, but he only walked next to me rather than having me take his elbow so I was able to be lead to where I was supposed to go. My cane found the table and chairs, rather than them being pointed out to me. Also, while in the queue, there was a basket of some sort coming up towards me when I was making my way to collect my coffee. It was only until a gentleman in the queue pointed it out that I knew it was there, the staff didn't point it out to me. Those baskets of goods could be quite an obstacle for other visually impaired customers and throw them off a little bit.

How did you find your experience?:

I enjoyed my drink, and I liked that I was given the different sized cups to have a feel of what size drink I would like, but I feel like everything else was lacking - especially in comparison to Costa Coffee that I visited earlier in the month. I felt like I was left by the wayside a little bit, and wasn't checked on to see if there was anything i would have liked or whether I was enjoying my drink. Costa Coffee was definitely a much better experience for me.

Would you return to this coffee shop in future?:

After visiting Costa Coffee first, and experiencing how accessible it is in there with a braille menu and great support and service from the staff, I don't think that Starbucks will be somewhere that I'll return to in the future. At least, not until they make some changes like training the staff to support a blind or visually impaired customer better and providing accessible menus. I don't feel that I had the same level of service as everybody else.

Any other comments and suggestions for improvements?:

Due to the background noise in coffee shops, it can be very hard to hear what the staff are saying at times. I think hearing loops installed into the main coffee chains would be extremely beneficial to those who are hard of hearing with hearing aids, as they are with other places such as banks and supermarket help desks. It would help if the staff could identify themselves better as I had no idea where they were when I was first walking into the coffee shop. Perhaps tactile markings on the floor would be a great idea to help identify where the counter will be with a cane, as with curbs outside. Starbucks also need to move the baskets of goods that seem to be in the middle of the queue out of the way to prevent any accidents.

Marks out of 10 for your experience:
5/10

Cafe Nero

Shop location:

The Trafford Centre

Date and time of visit:

Thursday, 23rd January 2014 at roughly 3:30pm

Were you at the coffee shop alone or with a friend / family member?:

I never shop alone, so was with my mum at the Trafford Centre - but had her stray behind me in the coffee shop to make it look as though I was on my own and would therefore need full assistance from the staff, rather than relying on my mum to read the menu out for me as she usually would do.

Were staff easy to identify and helpful?:

They weren't easy to identify and the counter wasn't very easy to identify either (my mum told me which side of the room the counter was on) but they talked much louder in Cafe Nero than in Starbucks so that was much more helpful. After making herself known to me, the member of staff came round the counter so it was much easier to communicate with her. She was the only member of staff from either 3 of the coffee shops that I visited that did this, and I really liked it and found it effective to have her next to me rather than talking to her over a counter. She led me to a seat and went through the options for the drink I wanted to have.

Were the staff able to provide you with an accessible menu? (e.g. braille, large print etc):

No, Cafe Nero didn't have a braille or large print menu available.

If the coffee shop did not have an accessible menu, was any alternative support offered? (e.g. a member of staff reading out the menu to you):

A member of staff didn't read out the menu, but asked what I would like to have instead after she guided me to a table. I picked hot chocolate, and she went through the two different sizes (regular and large) and the different toppings that were available (whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles).

If you were not provided with a menu or offered support, how did you choose the items you wished to purchase?:

I said what sort of drink I would like to have, and then variations were explained to me such as having additional whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles. I chose all of the toppings!

If you were offered a menu in an accessible format, was the menu in date, of good quality, include all items available on the main menu: N/A

If you were provided with an accessible menu, did you feel it enabled you to have the same level of service as other customers?: N/A

Did the staff demonstrate any awareness of how to support a blind or partially sighted customer? (e.g. guiding, language etc):

Yes, much better knowledge of support than in Starbucks. The member of staff correctly guided me to a table by having me take her elbow, rather than walking to me and having me try to find a table and chair with my cane. She identified and pulled out the chair for me and helped me with my money.

How did you find your experience?:

I really enjoyed my drink, and the support and service was quite good. The member of staff that helped to support me was really lovely and made all the difference for an enjoyable experience. The price of the drink was a little cheaper than Starbucks, and I got more hot chocolate for my money. Starbucks was very expensive for such a small drink.

Would you return to this coffee shop in future?:

Despite not having an accessible menu, I think I would visit Cafe Nero again - though it wouldn't be in the immediate future, as I would rather pick Costa Coffee after this experiment. It was pleasant though, and the hot chocolate drink was nice too!

Any other comments and suggestions for improvements?:

Due to the background noise in coffee shops, it can be very hard to hear what the staff are saying at times. I think hearing loops installed into the main coffee chains would be extremely beneficial to those who are hard of hearing with hearing aids, as they are with other places such as banks and supermarket help desks. It would help if the staff could identify themselves better as I had no idea where they were when I was first walking into the coffee shop. Perhaps tactile markings on the floor would be a great idea to help identify where the counter will be with a cane, as with curbs outside.

Marks out of 10 for your experience:
7/10
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Here are my final results all together:

Costa Coffee - 9/10

Cafe Nero - 7/10

Starbucks - 5/10

Summary:
Costa Coffee was definitely the best place to visit, in my opinion, having both braille and large print menus available and such wonderful support and service for a visually impaired customer. They were friendly, approachable and well trained in how to guide someone correctly. The support in Cafe Nero was good too, and made up for not having an accessible menu - though having a braille or large print menu would have given a better score. Starbucks was the least enjoyable for me, the drink was very expensive for what I got (a kids' sized hot chocolate) and the support was lacking. Starbucks definitely needs to be improved, especially as it's such a large chain and seems to be the most popular coffee shop our of the 4.