Minimum Income Standard for People with Visual Impairment

CRSP has been undertaking a series of research looking at the additional costs of sight loss. It follows on from an initial project that started to fill a long-standing gap in the understanding of the true financial cost of disability for households. The project used the Minimum Income Standard (MIS) to calculate the additional costs of living for single working age people who are sight impaired and for people who are profoundly deaf. The findings showed that households in the two groups in this study would require budgets of respectively 25 per cent and 82 per cent higher than for someone without such an impairment.

Thomas Pocklington Trust commissioned CRSP to extend this work to look at further groups of people with sight loss to explore different dimensions - of level of impairment and of life stage.  These studies now provide a picture of how the additional needs and costs of a single visually impaired person vary depending on their age and severity of sight loss.  Total additional costs per week (excluding housing costs) for a single person, compared to someone who is fully sighted, are as follows:

(2017 report)

Sight impaired

Severely sight impaired

Working age

£50.33

£120.43

Pension age

£77.82

£135.61

Key findings of the study include:

  • Both severity of sight loss and ageing bring extra costs, which increase further when these factors combine
  • Additional costs tend to be greatest where they involve regular human help, such as cleaning support or taxi journeys – so those who feel the most vulnerable can face particularly high costs
  • Someone of pension age could face high extra costs even with less severe sight loss, due to the joint impact of deteriorating sight and lower mobility
  • Visually impaired people face a broad range of additional costs – from direct aids to help with sight loss, help in the home, to travel and social activities

Using MIS research as a baseline, the research comprised discussions among groups of visually impaired people about what a person in each of the circumstances above needs for a minimum acceptable standard of living.  In each case, they talk through all the things that someone needs in the home, and for life outside the home e.g., travel/social life - and look at what might be different because someone is visually impaired, and how much extra it might cost. 

A final phase of research was undertaken to place these findings in context.  This involved:

  • quantitative analysis to provide evidence around the sources of income of visually impaired people and how these compare to MIS budgets.
  • in-depth interviews to explore the experiences of visually impaired people who are living on a low income and how they meet their needs.

It highlights how, although people prioritise meeting their basic material needs, social participation is extremely important but can be restricted when budgets are limited. Having enough income is important to maintain independence, agency and provide security, although resources such as formal and informal human support, access to services, organisations and appropriate technology can also be valuable.  Potential barriers to meeting needs include poor health, lack of access to local facilities, transport or technology, and lack of knowledge about services, support, benefits or registration.  As well as personal future uncertainties, the research reveals visually impaired people’s concerns and insecurity in the context of austerity regarding reassessment of benefits, social care and potential cuts to services. 

Series Publications

2018
Report
Experiences of Living with Visual Impairment: matching income with needs – PDF version
Experiences of Living with Visual Impairment: matching income with needs – Word version

Research Findings
Experiences of Living with Visual Impairment: matching income with needs – PDF version
Experiences of Living with Visual Impairment: matching income with needsExperiences of Living with Visual Impairment: matching income with needs‌ – Word version

January 2017
The full report:
Sight Loss and Minimum Income Standards - severity and age – PDF version
Sight Loss and Minimum Income Standards - severity and age – Word version

A summary of the findings:
Sight loss and minimum living standards: severity & age research findings - PDF version
Sight loss and minimum living standards: severity & age research findings - Word version

Second set of publications, January 2016
The full report:
Sight Loss and Minimum Living Standards - PDF version
Sight Loss and Minimum Living Standards‌

A summary of the findings
Sight Loss and Minimum Living Standards Research Findings - PDF version
Sight Loss and Minimum Living Standards Research Findings - Word version

Original Publications, January 2015

A full report presenting the method and the results in full
Disability and Minimum Living Standards Report - PDF version
Disability and Minimum Living Standards Report - WordWord version

A summary of findings of the project as a whole
Findings - For people who are sight impaired and for people who are Deaf‌
Findings - For people who are sight impaired and people who are Deaf - Word

Separate summaries covering sight impaired and Deaf findings
Findings - Additional costs of living for people who are sight impaired‌
Findings - Additional costs of living for people who are sight impaired - Word


Findings - Additional costs of living for people who are Deaf‌
Findings - Additional costs of living for people who are Deaf - Word‌

A version of the Deaf findings, presented in British Sign Language, can be found by clicking here 

Article
Hirsch, D. and Hill, K. (2016) The additional cost of disability: a new measure and its application to sensory impairment. Disability and Society, Volume 31, Issue 7.