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141
Sheltered Employment—The Department continued to administer
the Greenwich Workshops for the Blind, which are situated
at Greenwich High Road and Eastney Street. The total number of
registered blind employees fell to 26 during the year. This fact,
together with the inherent unprofitability of the traditional trades
practised in the Workshops (i.e., the manufacture of baskets,
mattresses and ships' fend-offs) tended to aggravate the difficulty of
restricting costs.
In an effort to reverse this trend, light engineering was introduced
on an experimental basis. A sub-contract was obtained from
a large electrical firm for the drilling and deburring of plastic
components. All the blind workers, who so wished, were given the
opportunity of a trial run on the two drilling machines. The results
were very encouraging and indicated that, with a little practice, the
majority of men taking part in the experiment were capable of
achieving worthwhile rates of production. Unfortunately, the
national economic difficulties in the latter part of the year seem
likely to jeopardise the development of the scheme.
Blind Homeworkers— There is a scheme for the employment of
the blind in their own homes for which the department is responsible
and these homeworkers pursue a variety of trades, e.g. basket
making, machine knitting and even a retail grocery shop. Six
Greenwich blind homeworkers continued to participate in the
scheme which is supervised, on behalf of the Council, by the Royal
National Institute for the Blind.
Concessions— A registered blind person may be eligible for the
following concessions and action is taken by the department to
ensure that they are received:—
(a) An increase in Social Security benefits.
(b) An exemption pass on London Transport buses which
allows the blind person and an escort to travel at the cost
of one fare.
(c) A certificate for the exemption of payment of a fee for a
wireless receiving licence.
(d) Provision of a free white stick by the Metropolitan Society
for the Blind.
(e) Free loan of a wireless set by the Society for the Blind.
(f) Free loan of a spark guard.