A leading charity has launched a raft of support to help students with visual impairments cope with their exam results this summer.

The move comes after research by the Thomas Pocklington Trust found that careers advice has been failing young people with vision impairment since the closure of the national Connexions service – making it even harder for those young people to make informed decisions for their future.

To try to help young people make informed decisions post-GCSE the charity is hosting a webinar on 21 August (11am-12.30pm) for vision impaired young people and their families who want some careers advice, have concerns about what to do next, or just want to find out what post-GCSE options exist.

Following the webinar, the key note speaker Michaela Ardley, is offering one-to-one confidential careers sessions for individuals to discuss their situation in more detail.

These career sessions will be allocated on a first come first served basis and can be accessed through. www.pocklington-trust.org.uk/gcse-what-next-webinar

Emma Cruickshank, Head of the Children Young People and Families team at Thomas Pocklington Trust, said:

This research is worrying.  As well as the disparities across the country, the research shows how important it is to have tailored support for these young people, which addresses their visual impairment in a positive and aspirational manner.

They need support to make realistic decisions for the future and are made aware of the different types of support available to help them on their chosen pathways.

We will be looking to work with professional bodies and forums around this issue and challenging policy makers on the disparities of support across the country. We had some reports of positive experiences in careers support so there are examples of good practice to build upon.

We will also create careers resources for both professionals and for children and young people and their families.  And we will establish a calendar of careers events for children and young people with VI.