Guide Dogs Research: Children are missing out on vital specialist support

27 May 2026

New research from Guide Dogs shows that far too often children and young people with a vision impairment in England are missing out on vital specialist support and learning.    

Only half (55%) of children have received support from a specialist vision impairment teacher, and less than a third (31%) received essential ‘habilitation’ which supports their mobility and independent living skills.  

Guide Dogs’ ‘Inclusive starts: stronger futures’ report shows that significant changes are needed to improve access to local authority specialist support services and to increase inclusivity in the classroom.  

Zoe Richmond, LOCSU Clinical Director, said: “All people deserve support that meets their needs and so it’s disappointing to learn that so many children and young people are missing essential support.   

“LOCSU are inviting LOCs to raise awareness locally by sharing the report from Guide dogs with their networks.”