Getting mobility training for your child

Your local authority (LA) is responsible for providing habilitation services for children and young people with a vision impairment. But we often work with LA providers and other partners to make sure your child gets the best training available.

Your first step is to contact your LA and ask about the habilitation and mobility training they offer in schools or early years groups. This is often organised by the sensory team or sensory needs team. Voluntary organisations that support children, young people, and their families may also be contracted by the LA to provide training.

This means we may already be running a My Life Skills programme for your LA, but we do not run separate courses that could duplicate or undermine any training already offered by other organisations within the LA.

If your LA does not have any habilitation or mobility training, we can work with them to:

• provide a My Life Skills course at your child’s school
• carry out an assessment, if needed, before any training begins

We can also help secure funding for habilitation training if the LA is unable to provide this service – this may include your family purchasing the course directly. But you must always contact your LA before asking us for help.

Please note that children and young people’s services are slightly different in Scotland and Northern Ireland, which may affect access to training.