About 18 per cent of people using NCBI’s services are completely blind, while 82 per cent have varying degrees of usable vision. We were established in 1931 to promote the full independence of people who are blind or vision impaired and now provide a range of services to over 11,000 people. NCBI also provides a range of services to public and private organisations so that their services are accessible to people who are blind and vision impaired.

We have over 150 staff who deliver our services and are supported by a team of dedicated volunteers throughout the country. NCBI has an annual turnover of €12M and was named as one of the 50 best companies to work for in 2005.

NCBI's community resource workers provide a range of support and services to people with vision impairments, meeting practical, emotional and social needs. Our low vision service assesses, prescribes and trains people in the use of low vision aids, which can open up new opportunities for reading and other daily activities, and our staff provide practical solutions to enable people with sight loss to carry out everyday tasks safely and independently. We also supply and provide advice on a wide range of assistive aids and appliances as well as offering expert advice and training in the use of technology to access information. NCBI's library and media service stocks a wide range of Braille, audio and large print publications and converts documents into accessible formats.