CNIB (Volunteer to help someone with sight loss)

• Background/police check required
• Appropriate for volunteers aged between 18 and 55
• Appropriate for volunteers aged 55 and over
• Training or orientation required

People with vision loss live independent lives every day. However, sometimes it’s easier to have someone help with certain sighted tasks. Our Vision Mate program aims to meet this need. Vision Mates are trained, sighted volunteers who are matched one-on-one with a person with vision loss. Activities that you and your match do together are based on the needs of the person with vision loss, but may include things like reading books or newspapers, organizing things around the home, going for walks around the community, or assisting with errands. You effectively act like the person’s eyes; observing and describing what is required to empower the person to accomplish the tasks at hand. The relationship between vision mate and match often transitions from “helper-helpee” to “friends” and for this reason their age, gender, interests, and travel distance play a role in making the match. We aim to match people for a minimum of six months, though there is no maximum time for a match to continue and ideally it will continue for years to come.