MSP for Central Scotland, Graham Simpson visited “award winning” Falkirk charity Forth Valley Sensory Centre to hear about their work supporting local people with visual and hearing impairments.
He met with the Centre’s Chief Executive, Jacquie Winning MBE, Sight Loss Ambassador Laura Cluxton and RNIB’s Campaigns Officer Eileen Clarkson for a tour of the facility before discussing the services they offer.
Forth Valley Sensory Centre, which officially opened in 2006, was the first of its kind constructed in the UK and specifically developed for the sensory impaired community.
Mr Simpson heard about the facilities at the centre including their sensory room and some of the thirty plus social classes like ‘Knit and Natter’ or ‘All Voices Off’.
He also discussed the accessibility of public transport for people who are deaf, blind, or have sight or hearing loss.
Staff expressed interest in delivering awareness training for bus and rail operators, alongside the RNIB, to ensure sensory impaired passengers are comfortable using public transport.
Mr Simpson praised the centre’s “vital work” and called on other local MSPs to visit the team.
MSP for Central Scotland, Graham Simpson said: “I was delighted to visit the award winning Forth Valley Sensory Centre at their site in Falkirk this week”.
“Jacquie and the team are doing vital work, providing essential services and hosting various classes, to improve the lives of people in the Forth Valley with visual and hearing impairments.
“I was particularly interested to hear about their proposal to make public transport more accessible by providing sensory awareness training for train and bus drivers and I look forward to helping them take this forward.
“The centre and its staff are changing the lives of local blind, deaf and partially sighted residents for the better and I would encourage my MSP colleagues to see this for themselves.”
Chief Executive of Forth Valley Sensory Centre, Jacquie Winning MBE said: “We were pleased to welcome one of our local MSPs, Graham Simpson, to the centre this week.
“This was a fantastic opportunity for us to speak about the work we do to support thousands of people with visual and hearing impairments in Falkirk, Stirling, and Clackmannanshire.
“With input from RNIB Scotland, we also discussed the accessibility of public transport for people who are deaf, blind, or have sight or hearing loss.
“We were also able to highlight some of the services we can offer, including providing sensory awareness training to bus and rail operators, while the RNIB brought us all up to date with national transport campaigns.
“This informative visit was arranged following the success of our exhibition stand at the Scottish Parliament last month, and we look forward to welcoming Mr Simpson and any MSP with an interest back to the centre.”
