Grants of up to £30,000 over a 1-3-year period are available to UK registered charities and Community Interest Companies to improve access to employment for blind and vision impaired people through activities that enable digital inclusion.
Fight for Sight’s new Digital Inclusion Fund, which opened to applications on Monday 3 November 2025, is for UK organisations of all sizes that directly support blind and vision impaired people or people at risk of losing their sight.
The specific aim of the Fund is to improve access to employment for blind and vision impaired people by driving digital inclusion at crucial points as people start to get themselves work ready and start or develop their careers.
Grants of up to £30,000 are available over a 1-3-year period.
Project proposals must address one or more of the following priority areas. Proposals should also incorporate expertise by experience as a defining element. Projects may span multiple areas and collaboration is highly encouraged.
Getting ready for the workplace - whether designed for people with recent vision loss or just starting out at work, the kinds of support Fight for Sight would be interested in funding include:
- A standardised (and ideally scalable) framework for understanding someone’s technology and digital skill level and needs.
- Support based on existing frameworks or interventions that is tailored to meet people’s specific needs.
- Ways to increase access to equipment and technology and software through workshops that allow for demonstration and experimentation, or through library-style services that allow people to spend time with products in their own settings, and
- Work to establish a digital passport that is tailored to an individuals’ specific access needs, and that can be used if reapplying for Access to Work when negotiating a change in job.
Looking for and applying for jobs – for projects that support blind and vision impaired people to identify opportunities and stand out in the recruitment process, including through:
- Increasing access to the technology needed to find and apply for roles, whether on a temporary or permanent basis along with development of the skills to use it (for example, to navigate online recruitment platforms).
- Support for people to familiarise themselves with key skills needed in the recruitment process and beyond (for example, online interview platforms and digital etiquette), and
- Peer support/mentoring on issues like understanding and advocating for reasonable adjustments needed at interview, negotiating with a potential employer if existing recruitment process/systems are not accessible etc.
Job retention and progression - once employed, blind and vision impaired people describe the work and ongoing energy needed to maintain and flourish in work as ‘exhausting’, ‘never ending’ and ‘overwhelming’. Fight for Sight wants to fund work that enables people to remain in control of their own destiny and to focus on their career, including projects to help with:
- Peer support/mentoring on issues like managing the Access to Work (ATW) process, identifying what assistance would help and communicating with employers about this, sharing experiences and trouble-shooting for successfully navigating a career, including choices about human and digital support.
- Familiarisation (and practicing) with technology for navigating the work environment, including getting to and from work as appropriate.
- Work to establish a catalogue of resources for people to build on when applying for the technology element of Access to Work, and
- Easy signposting to online resources and ongoing sources of information and training to help people stay up to date on the latest technology and digital developments.
Working in technology or digital support - receiving training and support from someone who is an expert by experience, as well as being a professional expert, can be incredibly powerful. Fight for Sight would like to see clear and accessible pathways for blind and vision impaired people who want to pursue a career in technology and digital support, including:
- Workshops/mentor schemes led by people with lived experience to raise awareness of career pathways relating to technology in a variety of different industries.
- Work to establish an accredited training course for those with lived experience who want to become tech trainers, and who may wish to make a career in this area.
- Exploring careers in the tech industries, raising awareness of potential pathways into work, and
- Development of a quality assurance mark or accreditation to give the community confidence about the quality of training and support they will receive and to better recognise the profession
The Fund opened to applications on Monday 3 November 2025 with a deadline of midday (12 noon) on Tuesday 6 January 2026. Grant recipients are expected to be announced during the week beginning Monday 16 February 2026.
Applications must be made via Fight for Sight’s online portal.
Please note that applicants are required to register an account before they can apply. Guidance on how to register and use the portal is available under the 'Application Process' heading on the Fight for Sight website, where further information about the Fund can be found.