Thank you for your interest in submitting a workshop proposal for this year's Visionary Annual Conference:  Rainbows, Disruptions and Transformations.

The core theme of the Visionary Conference 2021 is how we can harness the pandemic experience and continue the transformational service delivery momentum to create a new future for the sight loss sector. 

All speakers, workshops and discussions will follow one or more of the three core themes:

Rainbows:  Positives that have been and can be generated from the storm of the pandemic.  

Workshops will share learning and positive outcomes.  Facilitators are invited to share their journeys, how they adapted and the positive impact this has had and will have on future support and services offered to blind and partially sighted people. 

Disruptions: We will encourage each other to positively create and evaluate our own disruptions and challenge our own practices whilst acknowledging the huge disruption of the pandemic.  

Workshops will offer participants the opportunity to reflect, develop and learn about their own well-being or personal development. 

Transformations: We will consider how the worldwide shift can create opportunities for transformations in many areas including collaborations and digitalisation.  The sight loss sector will face immense hurdles because of the pandemic.  Radical transformations will be required to overcome the challenges and are necessary to keep pace with the economic, social and structural changes we are experiencing and ensure that blind and partially sighted people are not left behind and receive the support required at the time they need it.

Workshops will share experiences, learning and working practices where services, support or practices have been transformed.   Transformations may have taken place through external relationships, power dynamics and structures or internally within teams and practices. 

If you would like to discuss your workshop proposal with us, please email visionary@visionary.org.uk and a member of the team will get back to you.  

The closing date for submissions is 5pm on Friday 6 August 2021.

We have shared some ideas for workshop topics below, but we would love to hear all of your proposals and ideas.  

Organisational Health and Sustainability

This may include:  

·         legal advice,

·         impact measurement,

·         safeguarding,

·         developing strategy,

·         financial management,

·         leadership,

·         community fundraising post-Covid,

·         measuring the impact of volunteers,

·         charging for services,

·         emotional support & reflective listening,

·         governance,

·         corporate fundraising,

·         introducing new fundraising initiatives,

·         creating accessible social media,

·         digital communications,

·         localised awareness campaigns.

Sight loss, Additional conditions and Social inclusion

This may include: 

·         Visual Impairment and Learning Disability, Dementia, Stroke or Brain Trauma, securing sensory contracts,

·         delivering services for people with hearing loss,

·         working with marginalised groups such as homeless people, refugees and asylum seekers,

·         engaging with BAME groups,

·         engaging with LBGTQ+ groups.

Collaboration and Innovation

This may include:  

·         engaging with CCGs,

·         cross sector collaborations,

·         working with commissioners, 

·         navigating and influencing integrated care pathways, 

·         holding national/local government to account,

·         new service development,

·         partnership working.

Sharing the Visionary Love: Share your success based on learning from the pandemic, service transformation or past Visionary events and conferences

This may include: 

·         talent development,

·         lived experience,

·         services development e.g. low vision, children and young people, volunteers

·         using data to influence commissioners.

Please complete one form per proposal.