So services across the country for blind people have been in decline because this government can't organise a piss up in a brewery, but now Blunkett has added his voice to the calls for increased funding you can expect to see an announcement soon. I'm not begrudging the funding before anyone says otherwise, I am angry that it takes something like this to start the health and education ministers actually doing their bloody jobs.
I know I've said this before but why are we accepting a system of government that allows talentless unqualified sycophants to take important offices that have a direct effect on millions of people just because they can get their tongues far enough up the leader's arse. If people who had actuall experience in the relevant fields were actually given the jobs then in this case the NHS wouldnt be strapped for cash and the education system wouldnt be creaking under the weight of its own targets and then perhaps the funding and expertise would be available for other worthy programs like this.
Sheffield MP David Blunkett says the lack of Braille services in the city is a scandal after the only free course offered to people was axed.
The Sheffield College course was stopped last year after falling numbers resulted in funding being cut.
Mr Blunkett, who has been blind since birth, said the lack of such a service was letting people in the city down.
The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) said it was working with the college to look at funding for the academic year.
Mr Blunkett, MP for Sheffield Brightside, said: "I think frankly it's scandalous. I think a city of half a million people, without the facility of teaching Braille, lets a lot of people down particularly adults who loose their sight in later life."
Funding criteria
He added: "The little courses, the small amount of money has disappeared, and I think it's something we need to do a lot about rather quickly before the skills of teaching Braille disappear."
The lack of such a course in the city has had an impact on blind teenager Ben Noble, who is training to be a rugby coach but needs to learn Braille to pass his qualifications.
He said: "I want to be more independent. I don't want to rely on people all the time."
Jason Pepper, executive director of finance and resources at Sheffield College, said: "As the Braille course is not classed within the LSC priority funding criteria, and the class numbers are very small, we had to make the difficult decision not to offer the course this academic year."
A spokesperson for the Learning and Skills Council said it was working with Sheffield College to understand what impact the courses available had on local earners and employers.
