Charity urges change in attitudes towards mothers with sight loss
Ahead of Mother's Day (Sunday 30 March), leading sight loss charity the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) has released research that shows the barriers faced by mothers with sight loss during pregnancy and into their first years of motherhood.
There are over 180,000 people with sight loss in Scotland, of which 60% are women. One of the biggest challenges faced by blind and partially sighted mothers is the misconceptions they’re faced with, both by the public, and healthcare professionals supporting them during their pregnancies.
Janette's story
Janette Scott from Stirling has the sight loss conditions retinitis pigmentosa and glaucoma.
“As a blind mum, people had misconceptions about what they perceived a blind person could or couldn't do,” she says. “They assumed my children would not be able to read because I am blind, or that their homework wouldn’t be properly supervised.
“As far as my children were concerned their mum was normal to them and it was just her eyes that did not work properly.
“My children always used to ask me how I knew when they were up to no good. I never told them until they were much older that when everything went quiet, it meant they were up to something!”
Of those surveyed by RNIB, two fifths (41 per cent) of blind and partially sighted women said there were misconceptions about mothers with sight loss, with health care professionals being the most common group identified of those who hold these attitudes (26 per cent).
Janette and guide dog Esme standing next to an RNIB Scotland staff member.
Our report findings
According to the research, misconceptions from health care professionals can lead to unnecessary safeguarding plans and involvement from social workers, despite many blind and partially sighted mothers feeling their confidence to parent was not impacted by their sight loss.
Another research participant spoke about the perceptions of healthcare providers when pregnant:
A further barrier faced by mothers with sight loss is information about their health and pregnancy not being provided in accessible formats. Of those surveyed by RNIB, 14 per cent of women reported that information given to them by their health visitor was not provided in an accessible format, including audio, braille or large print.
When receiving information from hospitals, 12 per cent said they did not receive communication in a format that was accessible to them, whilst 10 per cent did not receive accessible information from their GP surgery.
RNIB Scotland is urging NHS Scotland for nursing and midwifery education to include the need for accessible communications. The charity also hopes to ensure a commitment from health providers for consistency of care across the country when providing compassionate and accessible maternity care for people with sight loss.
Laura Jones, NHS Engagement Manager at RNIB Scotland says: “We must demystify the myths about motherhood and sight loss. This report clearly demonstrates that mothers who are blind and partially sighted are being left behind, without essential support and information, at a time of need.
“RNIB Scotland is calling for nursing and midwifery training to include the need for inclusive communications at the very beginning of the parent journey. In addition, we want to work with external partners to ensure that perinatal peer support and community-based services include routes that are accessible to ensure inclusivity.”