This Volunteering Week, we are proud to share important conversations that we have had through the creation of our Volunteering Hub. They show how much we can learn when we talk to each other and listen to what people need.

Our aim is to make sure everyone who wants to volunteer can find the right chance, in a safe and welcoming way. By working together, we can open up the world of volunteering for all!

We know our Volunteering Hub helps adults with learning disabilities find good places to volunteer.

We believe other groups facing challenges could also benefit from a dedicated hub that is tailored to their specific needs.

Helping people with sight loss to volunteer

We spoke with Tosin Adeleke, an Awareness Campaign Officer at Sight Cymru. This charity diligently works to promote the welfare of people who are seriously sight impaired (blind or SSI) or sight impaired (partially sighted or SI) in Wales.

Tosin agreed that a dedicated website for people supported by Sight Cymru would be highly beneficial for volunteering.

Accessible features

We discussed several important technical features an online volunteering platform would need to effectively support individuals with sight loss:

• Screen reader compatibility: This includes support for keyboards that allow users to double-click to type.
• High contrast colours: To ensure visual clarity.
• Larger font size (Size 18): For improved readability.
• Alphabetical ordering of items: To make information easier to locate.
• Videos with audio descriptions: Providing audible explanations of visual content.
• Descriptions of cursor location on screen: Helping users orient themselves visually.
• Voice prompts: To facilitate easier navigation of the site.

Common barriers for volunteers with sight loss

Tosin also highlighted several common barriers faced by individuals with sight loss when attempting to volunteer.

These include inaccessible venues due to obstacles in walkways, signs and labels being too small, wet floors, and the need for specialised equipment, such as heat sensors for café volunteering roles.

Furthermore, individuals’ own anxiety, lack of confidence, and fear of failure represent significant personal barriers.

Lastly, some employers and organisations offering volunteering opportunities may lack awareness regarding the challenges faced by people with sight loss.

Fighting stigma

The stigma associated with sight loss is also common. For example, organisations might mistakenly believe these individuals cannot perform a role or worry about being held accountable if an accident occurs, which can lead to discriminatory practices.

Tosin firmly stated that people with sight loss “can do well and need to be included and need to be given a chance and they can perform very well.”

He also believed that publicly available resources on how to support individuals with sight loss through volunteering would significantly help to change attitudes and raise awareness.

A volunteering hub for people with sight loss

He felt that a co-produced hub would be highly effective, noting that “It would have a better result; better feedback and what individuals want will all be beneficial.” Tosin also thought many individuals would enjoy the process of creating such a website too!

Volunteering and mental health support

Sharon Phillips, Director of Inform Cwm Taf Morgannwg (CTM), shared similar views on how this project could be adapted for her client group.

Inform CTM is an individual-led organisation that supports people with lived experience of mental health conditions.

They empower individuals, carers, and groups to engage with various opportunities to improve and influence mental health services and the wider community.

Volunteering hub discussions

Sharon agreed that a dedicated Hub for her client group would be beneficial but also emphasised that one universally accessible website would be the optimal solution.

Many of their clients prefer to volunteer specifically with Inform CTM, viewing it as a safe space, similar to how adults with learning disabilities perceive our Insight app.

This suggests Inform CTM would be an excellent organisation to lead in the co-production of a new, dedicated Hub for people with mental health conditions looking to volunteer.

User-friendly features for people with mental health conditions

Sharon outlined several user-friendly features a website would need for those with mental health conditions:

• Filters: To help narrow down long lists of opportunities to those an individual prefers.
• Vetted opportunities: Ensuring roles are suitable and accessible for adults with mental health conditions.
• User-friendly opportunity descriptions: Each listing would include a description explaining the organisation’s commitment to supporting and including adults with mental health conditions (such as highlighting staff mental health awareness training or relevant policies).

Addressing barriers

Sharon is aware of a significant number of barriers individuals with mental health conditions face when seeking volunteering roles.

These include their own anxiety, a lack of confidence, and concerns about failing.

Another barrier, similar to the experience of individuals with sight loss, is the stigma that arises from a lack of awareness about mental health among employers and organisations offering volunteering opportunities.

Best practice awareness

More awareness is crucial, and Inform CTM is actively working on this by providing awareness training for other organisations.

This aligns well with the findings from our own co-produced resources on best practices for supporting adults with learning disabilities in volunteering.

Sharon agreed that more resources and training on supporting adults with mental health conditions through volunteering are greatly needed.

Inform CTM values the inclusion of everyone in the community and provides strong support for individuals in this area.

Why are these conversations important?

We are proud to be in a place where we can have these conversations and also highlight them too.

They show how much we learn when we talk to each other and truly listen to what people need.

Our aim is to make sure everyone who wants to volunteer can find the right opportunity, in a safe and welcoming way.

By working together, we can open up the world of volunteering for everyone in a way that works best for them!