Social Impact Report: Northamptonshire Association for the Blind

Visual impairment is multi-factorial, affecting aspects of daily life, health and wellbeing (Public Health England, 2018). In England and Wales, visual impairment affects around 2 million people, with information, from the RNIB² (2018) showing that around 290,475 people are registered1 as severely sigh impaired (blind) or sight impaired (partially sighted). The prevalence of visual impairment in Northamptonshire is 3% and, although, this is slightly lower than the national average (3.1%) it is expected to rise (RNIB², 2018). Northamptonshire Association for the Blind (NAB) have offered services to visually impaired people throughout Northamptonshire for over 100 years. They are the leading provider of specialist advice and support, with services for adults and children including telephone advice and support, specialist aids and equipment, volunteer befriending, social groups, activity and interest groups, and a holistic, home visiting reablement service. Understanding the social impact of NAB services is essential in developing effective and sustainable services. Social impact measurement allows organisations to understand the specific outputs, outcomes and impact of interventions and services on people and communities.

The University of Northampton’s ‘Social Impact Matrix’ combines McLoughlin et al. (2009) SIMPLE methodology, which focused upon the measurement of outputs, outcomes and impact with the ‘triple-bottom line’, which consists of economic, social and environmental impacts that are delivered by organisations and (in the absence of a current theoretical definition of social value) used as a proxy for social value. Using the University of Northampton’s ‘Social Impact Matrix’, this research builds on the assessment work carried out by NAB, to determine the social impact of services and
1 Registration is voluntary - To be eligible for registration your sight loss must have been assessed as meeting the criteria for certification. If it does you may be certified as being either severely sight impaired or sight impaired. Identify areas for improving the organisation’s social impact reporting. The research also seeks to identify the effectiveness and appropriateness of NAB’s services in addressing the needs of its beneficiaries.