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150
Sheltered Employment
There was a fall in the total number of registered blind employees
in the Greenwich Workshops for the Blind which is administered
by the Department.
Existing workshop buildings are antiquated and unsuited to
present day manufacturing requirements. Comprehensive developments
must, however, await the report of the working party set up
to consider the sheltered workshops needs for the South East area
of London as a whole, a fact mentioned in the Report for 1965.
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. Seven 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.