Action for Blind People: Visually impaired at greater abuse risk

Action for Blind People said today that blind and partially sighted people were four times more likely to be physically abused each day than sighted people.

A survey by the charity found that 60% of visually impaired people had historically experienced physical or verbal abuse, compared to half of sighted people. It polled around 200 visually impaired people and almost 2,000 sighted people.

In 54% of incidents, visually impaired respondents did not know their abuser. A significant number felt that their physical appearance, as a blind or partially sighted person, made them more likely to be a victim of the abuse.

Stephen Remington, chief executive of Action, said: “Unfortunately visually impaired people can be seen as vulnerable and an easy target for anti-social behaviour.”

However, only 4% of those who have been abused actually reported the incidents to the police, less than half the reporting rate for sighted people.

While similar proportions of visually impaired (29%) and sighted (28%) people did not tell anyone, 31% of the visually impaired group did not think they would be taken seriously, compared to 17% of the sighted group.

Action for Blind People called for more awareness training in schools and with employers to educate people about visual impairments.

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