RNIB – 150 years of history2018 marks the 150th anniversary of the founding of RNIB. Since then, we’ve made a huge impact across all areas of society – from reading and access to information; health and social care to employment and education; to money, welfare reform and transport.

On this very special birthday, we celebrate the achievements of those who matter most in our story – all the blind and partially sighted people, past and present, who have worked to improve their own lives and those of others.

Looking to the future, we will continue to transform society and lead in the creation of a world without barriers for people with sight loss.

A Victorian beginningOur story begins with Thomas Rhodes Armitage. Born in 1824, he became a physician, first practising in London and then in a Turkish hospital during the Crimean War. He was forced to abandon his medical career because of his deteriorating sight and eventually became blind.

On 16 October 1868, Dr Armitage founded the British and Foreign Society for Improving the Embossed Literature of the Blind – the precursor to RNIB.

Did you know? In the mid 19th century, few blind people had any formal education and most had to beg in the streets or rely on their relatives for food and shelter. Early employment opportunities for blind people were often limited to making baskets, brushes and mattresses.

1870 We adopt Louis Braille’s system as the best reading format for blind people, and in the following year publish the UK’s first key to the braille alphabet and music notation.

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1875 Queen Victoria becomes our first patron, and on many occasions uses blind scribes provided by us to take down dictation.

1893 We release the first dictionary of braille contractions.

1914 Our name changes to The National Institute for the Blind, or NIB.

The legacy of the First World WarThe end of the First World War brought many changes. Thousands of servicemen returned with devastating injuries, including blindness. Many charities, including NIB, responded to their needs by creating new services.

1915 NIB establishes St Dunstan’s, a charity dedicated to caring for soldiers blinded in war.

1918 We open a rehabilitation centre for disabled servicemen, along with a home for blind children called the Sunshine Home for Blind Babies.

1934 NIB and St Dunstan’s form the Sound Recording Committee. The Committee is tasked with exploring new technology to help blind people and is chaired by Sir Ian Fraser, an officer who had been blinded in action during the war.

1935 Talking Books are launched to provide books for blind people. The Sound Recording Committee decide on gramophone records as the best format for Talking Books, and the first titles are sent out.

Did you know? Agatha Christie’s The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was one of the first three Talking Books to be recorded. The other two were Joseph Conrad’s Typhoon and The Story of San Michele by Axel Munthe.

1937 We build the first dedicated Talking Books recording studio.

The Royal CharterIn 1949, we received the Royal Charter, and in the following decades we continued to expand our reading services.

1952 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II becomes our Patron.

1953 Our name officially changes to the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB).

1966 Our National Library Service launches titles in large print.

1968 The computer production of braille is introduced.

1970 RNIB produces the first Talking Newspaper using a high-speed copier.

Did you know? After vaccinations for measles and rubella became routine in the UK in the late 1960s, fewer babies were born blind or with limited sight.

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Campaigning successesThe 1980s and beyond saw RNIB make a crucial impact by campaigning for legislation and social policies that benefitted people with sight loss. As new technology developed, so did our innovations.

1984 The government introduces the Personal Reader Service, administered by RNIB, to provide blind workers with money to pay for readers to help them keep abreast of their work.

1987 Tactile paving is introduced at pedestrian crossings after campaigning by RNIB.

Did you know? As the World Wide Web started to grow, RNIB was at the forefront of the development of web accessibility standards. This made it easier for users of assistive technology to get online information.

1991 Our campaigns persuade political parties to produce their manifestos in braille and audio. We also succeed in persuading BT, and eventually other utilities, to introduce bills in large print and braille.

1992 Thanks to RNIB’s leadership of the Disability Consortium and the evidence from the first RNIB Needs Survey, the Disability Living Allowance is introduced by the government for blind people of working age.

1993 We launch the first portable, lightweight, battery-operated Talking Book machine.

1998 The RNIB Helpline is launched, providing information, advice and support to people living with sight loss over the phone.

1999 Free eye tests for the over 60s in England are introduced thanks to campaigning by RNIB.

RNIB at the millenniumIn 2002, RNIB became a membership organisation and we changed our name to the Royal National Institute of the Blind rather than “for the Blind”.

2003 RNIB launches Europe’s first radio station for blind and partially sighted people, VIP On Air, based in Glasgow. In 2007 this award-winning station becomes Insight Radio, and in 2016 it is renamed RNIB Connect Radio.

2005 We partner with Pure Digital to bring the first talking DAB digital radio to the market.

2007 Our campaign for audio description (AD) means that one in three UK cinemas and 11.5 million households with Sky or cable can get audio described film and TV programmes.

2008 RNIB modifies its name, adding People to the title i.e. Royal National Institute of Blind People, and adopts a new logo and the strapline “supporting blind and partially sighted people”.

2010 Our campaign for people with severe visual impairment to be able to get the higher rate of the mobility component of Disability Living Allowance is successful.

2010 We help introduce Eye Clinic Liaison Officers (ECLOs) for people at the point they are diagnosed, making it easier for them to get the support and services they need and to maintain their independence.

2012 Barclays bank becomes the first to introduce voice assistance on over 90 per cent of its ATMs, thanks to RNIB’s campaign. They are soon followed by Nationwide Building Society, Lloyds Banking Group and The Cooperative Bank.

2015 RNIB’s Talking Books service becomes free of charge for people with sight loss to mark its 80th anniversary.

2016 We launch RNIB Connect to enable people with sight loss to meet others with similar experiences and share information, advice and guidance, both face-to-face and online.

Did you know? The new polymer £10 and £5 notes have a tactile feature to enable people with sight loss to easily recognise them. RNIB worked with the Bank of England to ensure the inclusion of this feature, and also provided advice on the colours, contrast and sizing of the notes.

2016 The NHS Accessible Information Standard comes into force in England following years of campaigning by RNIB, meaning that all information such as appointment reminders and test results must be provided to patients’ in their preferred accessible format.

2016 Following work with RNIB, Samsung launches the first smart TV range with an accessible user interface.

2018 Campaigning by RNIB contributes to the government pausing controversial shared space schemes over fears they are “dangerous and difficult to navigate” for people with sight loss.

2018 RNIB marks 150 years and launches a new, more accessible logo and strapline: “See differently”, developed with input from the sight loss community.