Autonomy of blind and visually impaired people: how to combat isolation and maintain social connections

Shopping, traveling, cooking, getting information, carrying out administrative procedures... there are many everyday actions that require special support for blind and visually impaired people.

With the aging of the population and population growth, the number of visually impaired people is expected to triple by 2050.

Unadev's mission is to support blind and visually impaired people so that they can be independent in their daily, social and professional lives, taking into account their expectations and their environment. The association offers social support, training, cultural and sporting activities and funding for guide dogs.

Unadev relies on its eight regional centers and strong partnerships with guide dog associations and schools. The association has also been welcoming visually impaired elderly people for more than 30 years in its EHPAD Louis Braille, located in Gironde.

Glaucoma is the leading cause of absolute blindness in France. More than a million people would be affected, half of whom are unaware of it.

Unadev carries out actions to prevent so-called “blinding” diseases to slow or stop their progression. The association therefore carries out information and awareness campaigns by communicating and intervening with various audiences (schools, health professionals, businesses, etc.). The association also organizes free screening actions in companies or in certain cities thanks to its Glaucoma bus. This system is coupled with days dedicated to local screening for the most isolated populations, in medical deserts and priority areas. These campaigns are obviously carried out hand in hand with local ophthalmologists, health centers and hospitals.

To make the voices of blind and visually impaired people better heard, Unadev also publishes the quarterly magazine “Lumen”, and is a partner of the program “A vous de voir”, a series of documentary films produced and broadcast by France 5.

Furthermore, to progress in treatments, prevention, or restore vision, advancing research is fundamental. Unadev is the leading associative funder of medical research on visual disabilities. Each year, in partnership with INSERM-CNRS, the association organizes a call for scientific projects. Around fifty research projects, covering different themes linked to vision, were carried out and resulted in significant progress. This is also the subject of recent videos posted on the Unadev YouTube channel, highlighting the scientific research work carried out by the winners of this call for projects.