October 8 was World Sight Day. The call to action is ‘Eye care for all’ and children in special schools are part of an incredibly vulnerable group in desperate need of eye care.

SeeAbility has been overwhelmed by the response to our report, ‘An equal right to sight’, which details that almost four in 10 children with learning disabilities have never had a sight test, despite being far more likely to have a serious sight problem than other children.

We have been contacted by parents and teachers asking what they can do to help address this inequality, along with a terrific response over social media. We urge people to join us and share their stories.

But we need more help. We have a petition (www.seeability.org/petition) that calls on government and the NHS to make sight tests happen in all special schools.

We are aiming for as many signatures as possible, and the more we receive, the more likely the government are to change national policy and make sight tests available in every special school.

We also need as many donations as possible to help us continue our work and ensure children with disabilities do not needlessly lose their sight. You can find out more at www.seeability.org/childreninfocus

David Scott-Ralphs

Chief Executive, SeeAbility

Epsom